


The Ballad of The Three Legged Werewolf

by The Notorious Trollop Vo the Terrible (Voishen)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Amputee Bucky Barnes, Fluff and Smut, Full Shift Werewolves, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Mpreg, Omega Bucky Barnes, Puppies, Werewolf Biology, Werewolf Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-04-11 01:28:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 84,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4415870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voishen/pseuds/The%20Notorious%20Trollop%20Vo%20the%20Terrible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Funny how the perfect time to begin again is right after you realize everything you had is gone. After being a test subject and a weapon in the hands of the humans for fifteen years, Bucky is finally free. His first order of business is finding his own kind and maybe some answers about the holes in his memory. When he meets the pack's First Alpha, he quickly realizes there is something irresistible about him that has nothing to do with his pack standing. With mating season on the horizon, it's time to pick a partner and he knows exactly which alpha he'd like to keep his den warm. Now if only he could remember how seduction works.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Winter

               His paws sink down deep into the fresh snow as he slowly makes his way through a pristine, white meadow. No living thing has crossed this way since the snow fell, it may be days before anything does. He’s dozens of miles away from the closest human mark. If he has it his way, he will never see another one of those monkey beasts again. He’s suffered enough in their hands for the rest of his lifetime.

               He stops to sniff the air. He smells pack but he’s not sure from which direction. There is no wind and the scent is faint. He growls with frustration. The heartbreak of finding his old territory invaded by humans still pains him. He dearly hopes that there is at least someone left that will know him. He doesn’t know who that would be, the monkey brutes took that from him, but he has hope. It’s not just a desire for familiarity that drives him towards his own kind, he can’t hunt well on his own. Not as a wolf. His missing arm translates to a missing leg in his lupine form. He can move fast if he needs to but there is no grace to it. In the form of a man he can hunt but it’s too cold to be without fur for long. As he is, he’s stuck limping along on three legs up to his balls in a snow bank with no food in his belly. He loves it.  

               This feels invigorating. This feels like being alive. Not since he was a pup has he known such freedom. The search for his own kind is only the second thing he’s done since his stroke of luck three days ago. The only reason he has this is because his ‘tracking collar’ malfunctioned all of a sudden after fifteen years of trying to break it. That thing was a torture device used to force him to do the biding of that weaker species which he sometimes resembles. The stupid monkeys believe that because he is also lupine, he must be less intelligent than they are. They greatly underestimated him and that is why they are now dead. That was his first act as a free man; the slaughter of his captors. He hopes the dogs he set free are still picking the meat off their bones. Those dogs were his only friends during his captivity. He would have liked to have brought them with him but he could not. His kind eats all other animals, including the monkey’s pets. He is a wild animal, pets have no place with him.

               He reaches the end of the meadow and looks around. The tall trees have kept the brush down. He can see fairly well into the mossy forest. He spots a fallen tree that might provide him a bit of a vantage point. He makes his way to it and looks for his way up the slippery sides. Without his second front paw it’s difficult to find a footing. He climbs up using the help of a dirt pile created by the upturned roots. The smell of pack is stronger here on the opposite side of the meadow. He can see much further now but he sees nothing that looks like it might be settlement. Maybe the smell he’s tracking is from a hunting party and they’re already retreating away from him. The little breeze that there is tells him he’s downwind of them. He’s not going to be able to keep pace with a hunting party. He’s got to signal his presences before they are out of range. He sits down and prepares himself. It’s been a very long times since he’s done this.

                He howls as loudly as he can into the quiet forest. He’s almost startled by the volume of his own noise. He was punished for making sound in his cage. He was punished for almost everything except for the few things they wanted from him. A flash of heat rolls through him at the thought of being shocked into submission. They tried to tame him so that he could be used like their dogs. He throws his head back and howls again to spit on that memory.

                Then distantly he hears it. It’s not as far away as he feared. It’s the answering call of an alpha, probably the First Alpha if he’s the one speaking for the hunting party. He shifts on the log, unable to completely contain his excitement. He howls back to the distant wolf with perhaps an overly enthusiastic ‘Hi there!’ He immediately repeats himself with a more formal ‘Hello’. He feels a bit dumb. He just howled like the pup he was the last time he did it. Hopefully they don’t think he’s a pup. If this really is the First Alpha he’d like to make a good impression. He is an omega after all, the First Alpha’s opinion means a lot.

                The distant wolf tells him to stay. He would have liked to have met them half way. ‘Stay’ is one of those stupid brute’s words for him. They only ever addressed him with twenty or so words the whole time he was there. Many times he had to fight the urge to speak to them in their foul language just so he could tell them how much he’d like to give them an up close examination of his teeth. The few times he gave in to speaking he used only his native tongue. It’s a different language than howling, to the monkeys it sounds like unintelligible mumbling. Their ears are just not that good.

                He uses his own superb hearing to listen to the hunting party growing closer by the minute. They are much faster than he is with his awkward gate. He waits with a funny feeling in his chest. He doesn’t have a name for it. It feels like something is expanding making his rib cage larger but somehow not hurting him. Excitement doesn’t fulling describe the experience. Maybe this is just what it feels like to be on the precipice of a new life. Or maybe he’s just really, really hungry and finally losing it.

                The first wolf he spots is red. This one is a scout. It spots him on the log and yips for the hunting party to follow it. The rest of them begin to trickle into his vision shortly after. The red wolf waits for the rest of its hunting party to get closer. It looks at him intently, no doubt studying the missing limb. He stands tall, not letting himself come across as feeble. He’s a lot of things but weak is not one of them. If anything his disabled appearance works as a distraction. His foes are always dead before they realizes the missing arm isn’t holding him back at all.

                The last wolf to arrive with the rest of the hunting party makes his hackles stand up. He’s not sure why he responds that way, this one doesn’t pose a threat to him. He’s an omega, he won’t ever have to challenge this giant for authority. Still, something about the distant alpha sets his instincts on high alert. The alpha is huge, he’s at least half a man’s head taller than the next biggest wolf in the group. He’s thick in all ways except for around his waist. The alpha’s not just fat for the winter, he’s a solid piece of fur, bone, and muscle. He’s a strange color as well. They come in every color but very few are ever the tawny color this one is. He feels like he’s seen it before but no name accompanies a wolf with that coloring. As transfixed as he is by this new alpha, the new alpha seems the same towards him. The rest of the hunting party seems to have mixed feelings. The First Alpha turns his head to the side. He makes some kind of noise but from this distance he can’t be heard clearly. The newcomer on the rock doubts he was supposed to hear or he would have.

                The First Alpha choses the red wolf and another large black wolf to accompany him to meet the newcomer. The newcomer jumps down from the log. The First alpha flinches as if he expected him to stumble. The newcomer does not. He lands sure footedly even one foot short. In his current form it’s impossible for him to speak. He shifts to his other form with great ease. He can shift between forms in less than forty five seconds. He was trained for speed. A normal wolf needs at least two minutes. He looks at the three new wolves with his greenish grey, ape eyes while the others are still transforming. The First alpha is the next one to finish becoming fully a man.

                The newcomer is extremely skilled at masking his emotions. He is glad of this because when he gets a good look at the alpha in front of him, he suddenly understands what it’s like to want to devour someone in a metaphorical sense. He sincerely hopes the alpha won’t be repulsed by his biological response to just the sight of him. His scent hits him a moment later. This is much worse.

                Red flashing lights go off in his head. The absent memories of his past feel especially missing in this moment where he can’t place the alpha but he knows he knows him. That scent is so familiar at first he thinks the alpha must be family but that doesn’t make sense because family doesn’t usually smell so attractive. He smells like honeycomb and salt and something distinctly bodily in origin. This scent is more familiar to him than the trail that led to his old home. He realizes whoever this alpha is, he is home.

                “Bucky?” The alpha asks him with a look on his face that is sorrowful yet hopeful all at once. “Is that you?” He puts his hands out slowly as if he’s trying to calm him down. He must think he’s about to spook.

                “Bucky.” The newcomer feels the motion of the name on his lips. It fits even if it’s odd. It sounds better when the alpha says it. “So that’s what my name is.”


	2. Chapter 2

            “So that’s what my name is.” Bucky says with a satisfied nod. A little smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

            It takes a beat for the alpha to process what he just said. The First Alpha’s nose flares. Is the alpha angry at him?

            “I’m sorry.” Bucky quickly ducks his head down in submission. Bucky looks up at the First Alpha from under his thick eyelashes. The alpha makes a hurt sound in his throat, his mouth drops open.

            “No! No don’t be sorry!” He approaches him faster than he ought to. Bucky tenses up, recoiling slightly and checking the alpha up and down for signs of violent intentions. Perhaps the alpha was right to suspect him of spooking. “Bucky I-! I’m not angry at you! How could I be?” The alpha’s expression has turned back to hopeful sorrowfulness. His palms are turned up beseechingly. “Where have you been?”

            Bucky stays silent. He doesn’t want to talk about the humans. “Missing.” The omega answers as cryptically as he can. The alpha must understand his reluctance. Maybe he even suspects that he was captured.

            “Do you…” He looks more hopeful and less sorrowful as he pauses. He licks his lips and minutely tilts his chin up. “Do you know who I am?”

            Bucky wishes he did. He squeezes his eyes shut in a grimace and turns his face back to the ground. He so badly wants to remember this alpha but there is nothing. He’s been robbed of that.

            “Your scent is very…” His scent is so many things to him. He swallows then looks back up at the expectant alpha. “I know your scent.”

            The alpha’s lower lip quivers faintly. He covers his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “It should be.” He takes a deep breath and looks back at Bucky. Behind him, the First Alpha’s chosen lieutenants look very concerned. The alpha shakes his head to clear away troubling thoughts. He steels his nerves. “Do you need some place to stay? Our settlement isn’t far from here. You are more than welcome to join our pack. We absorbed what was left of Big Brook Pack years ago.” The alpha stops. “That was the name of the pack we came from. You and I grew up together. You were my best friend!” He puts one hand on his hip and covers his mouth with the other. He looks down to hide the mist in his eyes. Bucky watches the slow rise and fall of his thickly muscles shoulders. The alpha takes one ragged breath after another. Bucky can hear the delicate little hitches in each one. Clearly the alpha wants to say more but can’t because this isn’t the place and it’s all too much for him to communicate. Bucky was expecting to be bombarded by new things, he’s even looked forward to it. All he’s had is the promise that there is more. This is a dream come true.

             He doesn’t let the alpha fumble for long. They can talk later. He is very tired after his long journey. “I’ll go with you.” Bucky tells the three wolves before him, he shifts back into his other form and begins to walk towards the pack.

             “Wait!” The alpha calls. Bucky stops fearing he’s overstepped. He strains his neck and carefully staggers his back feet so he can turn to look at him. The alpha apologetically smiles. His eyes are kind and a little excited. “I forgot to say, my name is Steve.”

              Steve. How could he have forgotten Steve? Bucky nods his lupine head. The three wolves shift to their four legged forms and take off. Bucky does his best to keep their pace but he’s got to be careful where he steps. He’s easily tripped. The First Alpha, Steve, slows down. He thinks again then stops entirely and howls to tell the hunting party to return home. They do as he says but not before giving the three legged wolf curious looks. Steve growls lightly. That surprises Bucky. The First Alpha gestures with his head to tell the gawkers to scram. They go a lot faster after that. Steve stays by Bucky’s side as they make their way home. Steve learns quickly that Bucky is looking for the clearest paths possible. Steve leads him on the best trails. It probably takes twice as long for them to get to the settlement but Steve never leaves Bucky.

              Bucky limps along faster when he sees the little village carved into the very rock of the mountainside. There are some wooden buildings and an amphitheater set away from the mountain, but the dens are all safely tucked away in dirt and stone. The whole settlement is under the watchful eye of a guard in a tree tower. He waves at Steve and Bucky when he sees them. Steve nods his head in greeting. Bucky thinks it’s odd that there is no defensive wall around the village. They walk right up to the huts without being stopped by anyone.

               The first building they approach is a large hut dedicated to providing goods for the settlement. The roof is made of steeply sloped planks so that the snow slides off. The walls are made of clay, rock, and wood framing. There is a large window with a counter and a little door but it’s otherwise unmarked on the outside. Bucky can see there is an attendant inside leaned over something. The walls are stocked with all manner of things from building supplies to puppy toys. Steve shifts into his man form, Bucky follows suit.

               “Tony? You busy?” Steve leans on the counter. Bucky sticks to the side.

               “Yeah, but not for my favorite First Alpha. Ow!” He curses and mutters something in the ugly human language. Tony comes to the window while shaking his hand in pain from some small injury. “Forget everything I said, I was doing something delicate. What do you want?” Tony grumbles. Bucky glimpse him for a few seconds before he puts his back to the wall. Tony is a middle aged, nice looking omega with soft brown eyes and funny facial hair. Most wolves either wear beards or shave completely. This omega strikes Bucky as vain.

               “Um…” Steve gestures down at himself. He and Bucky are both completely naked. Tony, as he is apparently called, can’t see Bucky tucked tightly against the hut’s exterior. “Clothes would be nice.” Steve chuckles. Tony purses his lips. His brows knit together. He’s appreciatively studying Steve like he’s a work of art.

               “And why exactly do you wish to rob the world of the lovely view of your delectable physique?” Tony asks as he gestures to mostly Steve’s pelvic region. Bucky glances at the alpha’s groin for the second times since they met half an hour ago. He’s also approves of the view. Thanks to his virgin omega hormones all he can think about at the moment is how big Steve’s knot must be.

               “It’s cold Tony. It’d rather be ‘non-delectable’ than freezing.” Steve retorts. He folds his hands over himself, obscuring Tony and Bucky’s view. And it’s cold… Bucky forgot about that. He’s having a hard time picturing what the First Alpha’s manhood must be like when it isn’t below freezing.

               “Damn!” Tony snaps his uninjured hand. “Always stealing my fun. Let’s see what I’ve got for fur replacement.” Bucky doesn’t like the way he looks at Steve. Not that it’s any of his business. The noisy omega turns and bustles around in a chest of clothing looking for something that will fit Steve. Bucky can’t see but he can hear it all. Steve turns to face Bucky. His eyes begin to drop down but go no lower than Bucky’s mangled shoulder before he looks back at Bucky’s face and smiles more broadly. Bucky’s stomach feels funny. He doesn’t like the way Steve looked at his missing limb. It was without judgement but it was fast, like he thought he shouldn’t be staring at it. Maybe Steve thinks Bucky is sensitive about his major flaw? He’s not wrong, even if Buck refuses to admit it. He’s even more reluctant to admit he’s in denial.

               “You like your hair long like that?” Steve asks. He’s trying to make conversation. Bucky feels weird about it. It seems like if they are going to talk about anything it should be something important like his past or his future, not his preferred hair length.

               “It’s easy like this.” He’s had no choice. The humans shaved his head every few months. They had to tranquilize him to do it. He doesn’t want to tell Steve this.

               “Who are you talking to?” Tony asks. He sticks his head out the window and turns to look at Bucky. Tony raises an eyebrow and gives Steve a look. He chuckles once then twice. “Oh buddy, I don’t know how to tell you this. Your boyfriend is missing an arm.”

               Bucky tenses up. He draws his shoulders in and blushes. He’s never been called anyone’s ‘boyfriend’ before. He’s had no practice with this kind of teasing. He was taken before the age when kids joke about relationships. He’s much less phased by the missing arm comment. Steve is not. Steve bares a canine and shoves Tony back into the hut.

               “Tony, shut up! I am aware he is missing an arm you asshole!” Steve barks. Bucky’s heart flutters over Steve’s failure to refute the ‘boyfriend’ label and Steve’s adamant defense of him. Can you really go from total stranger to boyfriend in less than an hour of knowing someone? He’s probably said less than thirty words to Steve. How could they possibly be an item so soon? How does one confirm that you are boyfriends? “And-!” Steve rolls his eyes. “He is not my boyfriend!” Bucky’s hopes are dashed on the rocks. He feels like he’s been pushed off a mountain but only his heart took the plunge. Externally he hides his disappointment well.

                Tony throws more clothes at Steve. “Fine! Just takes these and get out of here already! I have work to do. The solar powered microwave isn’t going to fix itself and I need my shrimp ramen!”

                Steve takes the clothes and hands some to Bucky. Bucky pauses and thinks about what Tony just said while he holds his clothes to his chest. Steve seems to understand his confusion. “Tony is our Town Wolf. He goes back and forth to get things we need or want. If you need something, ask him. He can usually find or make just about anything. He’s practically magical.” Steve explains as he pulls on a leather tunic and some baggy, cloth pants. Bucky puts his clothes on too. His clothes are almost exactly like Steve’s but his pants look like they are softer. Steve gave him the nicer pair.

                “Come this way and I’ll introduce you to who you ought to meet.” Steve gestures towards more of the huts.

                “Thanks but if you don’t mind, I’d like to lie down for a while.” Bucky says with a cringe. He really does want to socialize but he hurts. His feet and hand are very sore from such a long trek. “I’ve been traveling almost nonstop for three days.”  

                “Oh!” Steve smacks himself in the forehead. “Of course! I’m so sorry! Of course you can rest. You can stay in my den. It’s not much but it’s cozy.” Steve offers.

                Bucky’s eyes widen. An alpha inviting an omega home to their den is one of the few courting practices he is aware of. Even as a six year old pup he was introduced to what that means. Usually it only happens during mating season. The offer is the polite way of asking for sex. ‘Would you join me in my den’ is a common mating proposal. This has evidentially not dawned on Steve because he’s still looking at Bucky expectantly. He can’t possibly be serious! He just said that they aren’t boyfriends. What kind of alpha is this Steve?

                “Hey boys.”

                Bucky turns his head and sees that the sultry, red headed alpha from the hunt has snuck up on them. Steve’s cheeks turn pink. The female alpha looks between them with a sly smirk on her gorgeous face. She has her hands on her hips with one hip cocked to the side in a particularly sassy stance.

                “Natasha!” Steve yelps. He looks like he’s been caught in the act of something naughty. Bucky’s eyes dart between the two alphas. Maybe Steve was propositioning him. Bucky is very attracted to him but he’s not sure how he feels about this situation. He’s finally free, does he really want a mate already? The last time he was with his own kind he still played with sticks. He doesn’t know the first thing about being a mated omega.

                “Hello Steve.” She waggles an eyebrow at him. “Making friends awfully fast I see.” She gives Bucky a once over. She doesn’t hide how she looks at his empty sleeve.

                “I’m not-!” Steve pauses and looks back at Bucky. “Oh no! I didn’t mean I wanted you to be- or that you had to- no!” Steve shakes his head frantically. “I just meant for now, until we find a place where you can stay permanently.”

                Bucky opens his mouth to speak but Natasha cuts him off.

                “Or if you feel like it, I’ve got a way you can make yourself useful and get your rest in.” Natasha tells Bucky. Bucky glances at Steve. He’s reluctantly biting his tongue. Natasha has clearly prevailed over him by embarrassing him into submission. It’s strange to see a First Alpha being undermined like this. This pack must be very informal or Natasha must be Steve’s very good friend. Based on the way Steve commanded his hunting party earlier, Bucky thinks this might just be Natasha’s effect on people.

                “What do you have in mind?” Bucky ask.

                “Do you like pups?” She questions. Bucky scarcely remembers pups. He can’t remember if he likes them or not. He shrugs trying to seem impartial, not confused. “Well just let them snuggle with you and you’ll be fine. Their mama is up doing his lookout thing and they miss his omega smell.” Bucky can’t argue with that. Something about it sounds very welcoming actually.

                “Sure. I can do that.” Bucky responds. He has no idea what he’s doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So welcome to the Haus of Trollop. If you are new to this dumpster, welcome. If you've been here since August of last year, you are a faithful addict. Thank you for joining me on this brief intermission I am taking from my other work. My goal is to crank this thing out in about two weeks before returning to me regular scheduled programming. I just really wanted to write about this world I have in my head and get my toes wet in this werewolf au thing. 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr to see pretty things!  
> http://thenotorioustrollop.tumblr.com/
> 
> -The Trollop


	3. Chapter 3

                The entrance to the den is the perfect size for a wolf to walk into. The door is covered by a pelt to keep the warmth in, Natasha pulls it back so Bucky can crawl inside. They haven’t shifted because Natasha still needs to explain the situation. Unlike him, she can’t shift back and forth so effortlessly.

                “So I’ll see you later?” Steve asks as he watches Bucky disappear. Bucky looks over his shoulder.

                “Yeah. I’ll be around.” Bucky tells the alpha. He can only see his knees. Steve keeps standing there even as Natasha crawls in after Bucky.

                “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him. Bye bye, now.” Natasha tells Steve in a teasing tone.

                “Goodbye.” Steve’s voice has a hint of reluctance. He backs away slowly. Bucky wonders for a moment what this must be like for him. He did say they were once best friends. His best friend just came back from the dead and he doesn’t remember him. It must be hard to have so much to talk about when the other person has nothing. He feels bad for Steve, now that he’s not too busy ogling him. What does Steve expect from him? Does he want his best friend back? He doesn’t have those memories, how is he supposed to recreate that person? Bucky pushes back those unpleasant thoughts. Repressing the things that happened while he was a pawn for the humans has turned him into an expert in delaying the processing of emotion or neglecting it altogether.

                Bucky clumsily crawls into the den by pulling himself forward with his arm then pushing off with his legs. The dirt and clay walls of the den have been smoothed by the fur of passing inhabitants. The tunnel is snug around him. He follows it a few feet until he gets to a fork. “Which way?” He asks.

                “Left.” Natasha directs him.

                Bucky continues down that way a few feet more then stops. The chamber attached to the end of this tunnel is big enough for a man to sprawl out but not quite tall enough to stand in. There is a lot of bedding on the ground that looks very inviting. Natasha’s scent is strong in this room along with the scent of an omega and another alpha. Strange that there are two alpha scents in the same den. Mixed in with the smell of adult wolves is the smell of pups.

                In a bundle of cotton cloth in the corner, four tiny pups start to rouse. Natasha crawls past Bucky to check on them. Their little pink and brown noses stick up out of the pile as the sniff for her. Bucky can’t help but grin at them. He wonders why pups so small have been left unattended.

                “Clint should be here watching them but apparently he can’t stand to be cooped up all day.” Natasha scoffs.

                “Doesn’t it bother him more to leave them?” Bucky asks. He scoots closer to the nest and tries to lean to see the babies.

                Natasha looks up at him then goes back to petting each pup. “It should. Clint is having some trouble, let’s leave it at that.”

                “Are you their father?” This is her den, it only makes sense.

                “Some of them, yes. This litter has two sires. Phil is the other father, you’ll meet him soon.”

                “Oh.” Bucky’s never heard of such a thing and he’s not sure he likes it. “You share an omega?”

                Natasha smirks. “I like to think of it as Clint is just too much for one alpha to handle.” Bucky tries to picture how a butthole is supposed to fit two knots in it at the same time and comes up with nothing pretty. Natasha gestures to the bedding. “They like to snuggle with you more as a wolf. Just shift over and they’ll come to you. Their eyes are still closed but they can smell and hear you just fine.”

                “Okay.” Bucky takes his clothes off and shifts. The puppies smell the change and begin to waddle towards him. Bucky lays down on his side with his belly facing the approaching pups. They search for him with their noses outstretched as far as they can go. They make a quiet ‘ruff’ noise as they blindly run into his soft underside. The omega instinctively curls his legs around them. He gives each of their little bodies a lick to greet them. Four puppies, all accounted for.

                Natasha chuckles at the scene. “You look good like that. Careful, they might root around for a nipple.” Bucky yips when one does just that. He gently nudges the pup back towards his brothers and sisters who are balling up to sleep. They lick at Bucky’s fur to part it down to the omega’s pink skin. They settle with their shoulders pressed against the warm skin spots for comfort. They know he’s not mommy but they appreciate his omega scent.

                Bucky looks up at Natasha, his eyes are comically wide. His ears stick straight up in shock. He was not expecting to find this as satisfying as he does. Natasha crawls back to the entrance to the tunnel.

                “You sleep for a while. I’m going to go tell Phil you’re here and then I’ll help Steve. Sam is in the next chamber over if you need anything. Sam’s a very nice beta, if the pups get fussy let him know and he’ll howl for their mom.”

                Bucky grunts and hopes that communicates his thanks adequately. Natasha leaves and he sets his head down. He’s so tired and the babies are keeping him from moving. He goes to sleep in a few minutes easily. It’s the first time he’s slept since he escaped.

.oOo.

                “What is this shit!?” A strange voice shrieks, shocking Bucky out of his peaceful sleep.

                Bucky stiffens and looks up to the source of the distressed voice. He flinches when he’s accidentally smacked by the omega trying to gather up the pups. They whine in distress, they were very comfortable a moment before. Bucky bares his teeth and growls at the other omega. The man snarls back at him. “Fuck off! These are mine!”

                “What’s going on?” Another unfamiliar voice demands. The scent of Natasha and the other alpha that lives in this den gets stronger.  Bucky can also smell Steve. He’s surprised to see him rush into the chamber in his lupine form. He stands over Bucky protectively but does not impede the omega from retrieving his pups. The omega becomes even more enraged when he sees that Steve is involved.

                “You knew?” The omega demands. He looks at the two alphas who have just come into the room in their human forms. It’s Natasha and the owner of the unknown alpha scent.

                “Of course we knew!” Natasha scoffs. “What did you think we were just going to leave them while you were off having ‘you time’!?”

                “I was thirty feet away up a three!” Clint screeches.

                “If they can’t find you, that’s too far!” Natasha argues.

                “That doesn’t mean you give them to someone else!” Clint holds the four pups against his chest awkwardly. They grumble and cry because they aren’t being held securely. This drives the unfamiliar alpha into action. He goes to Clint’s side and begins arranging them better. “What are you doing?!”

                “They are crying, Clint.” The alpha explains. “They’re always crying.”

                “I know that! I just-!” Clint growls in frustration.

                Steve nudges Bucky with his snout. Bucky nods and follows the alpha outside the den.

                They go a little ways together until Steve finally stops in the amphitheater Bucky saw earlier. Steve shifts back into man form and sits down on a smooth slab of rock. Bucky does the same and sits down next to him.

                “I’m sorry about that. I honestly didn’t think Clint would get so upset.” Steve tells him with his head bowed and his fingers laced together.

                “I thought something was strange, I was just too tired to question it.” Bucky grips the sides of the rock. His instincts have been offended by having the pups plucked off of him. There isn’t a way to make it better, he just has to let it die down slowly.

                “Clint’s one of those aloof mothers that got more upset about the weight gain than excited about the babies. He doesn’t quite get it yet.” Steve forces a chuckle.

                “Why? Is there something wrong?” Bucky is probably being rude but since he was just involved, he feels like he’s got an excuse to ask.

                “Did you see the things in his ears?” Steve sighs.

                “No. I was too busy watching the pups.” There’s instinct for you.

                “Clint is mostly def. He can’t hear the pups’ sounds so he hasn’t bonded to them properly. He’s trying, but it’s hard.” Steve explains.

                “Ah.” Bucky nods, he understands the feeling of not being ‘all there’ well.

                Someone whistles at them from not too far off. Steve and Bucky look over just as the beta from Natasha’s den approaches them. Bucky recognizes him by his scent. This must be Sam.

                “Wow… this has got to be some kind of a record. Steve, you sly fox.” He says while appraising them then gesturing to the rock they are sitting on. “It’s a little early to have him on The Breeding Stone, don’t you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend is the one who pointed out that Clint wouldn't be able to hear the pups. I hate her. She ruins everything. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	4. Chapter 4

                Steve flinches, looks at the rock and puts together what Sam just said. He stands up immediately and bites his lip. He holds up one finger towards Sam and slowly exhales. Bucky gradually stands as well.

                “You know, I really wasn’t thinking about that.” Steve finally tells him.

                “How can you possibly not think about that when you’re sitting on that thing?” Sam laughs. “It’s your rock!”

                “What does that mean?” Bucky eyes the rock suspiciously. He glances from it to Steve a few times. A breeding rock? This must be some kind of spring ceremony thing. Maybe they bless you on the rock for good luck or something. Could it really be as crude as it sounds? Do people actually _breed_ on the rock?

                “You didn’t have one back in your old pack?” Sam asks.

                “I don’t remember.” Bucky feels like that’s going to be his explanation for everything.

                “Oh!” Sam chuckles deviously. “Well then maybe Steve would like to enlighten you? It’s probably his duty or something.” Sam’s very amused by the colors Steve turns.

                “Sam, do you need something?” Steve asks to divert the conversation.

                “Peggy is looking for you. I thought you’d want to know. She said she has some questions for your friend, if that’s okay with you.” Sam tells the both of them. He points at Steve and addresses Bucky. “Don’t let him off the hook about The Breeding Stone, you should know about that before spring rolls around or you’re going to have quite the surprise.”

                “Sam! I’m not going to-!” Steve bursts. He cuts his eyes towards Bucky and huffs. “Please stop insinuating things!”

                Sam raises an eyebrow, giving him an ‘oh really?’ look. “I wasn’t insinuating one damn thing.”

                “Yes you were…” Steve mutters. He takes Bucky by the wrist and swiftly leads him along presumably in the direction of whoever ‘Peggy’ is.

                “What was that about?” Bucky asks. His stomach flutters oddly. He’s not sure exactly what that conversation was about but he thinks it may have had to do with Steve’s plans for mating season. Bucky wouldn’t mind being a part of that. Though judging by how vehemently Steve keeps refuting all this teasing, Steve might. That irks Bucky. He understands though. Who would want a one armed omega? Steve is being kind to him because he wants them to be _friends._ Bucky can live with that even if he can’t help but find the alpha extremely attractive.

                Steve takes him to a medium sized hut not too far from the one Tony was in that afternoon. Their path is temporarily blocked by a long line of wolves in the process of leaving the settlement.  It’s nighttime now and the hunting party is leaving again. Bucky doesn’t recognize the wolves in this group. The party is helmed by a solid black wolf that is almost the size of Steve. He gives Bucky a curious once over while he passes him. He seems approving if Bucky isn’t mistaken. Steve notes the wolf’s leer and purses his lips. He meets eyes with the black wolf and raises his chin. The black wolf bows his head and continues on. Bucky didn’t see that. He was looking at the woman that just walked out of the hut they are on their way to.

                She has deep chestnut hair and sharp eyes that must see everything. She’s past her prime but still stunning. She hold herself with unflinching confidence. Bucky can’t pin her designation because of the passing hunting party but he would be surprised if she wasn’t an alpha.

                The hunting party passes and they approach her. She holds out her hand to Bucky. He takes it while he blatantly stares at her. The corners of her eyes crinkle when she smiles. He can’t believe it, this close her can smell her scent. She’s an omega.

                “You must be Bucky.” She says in a peculiar accent.

                “I am.” He says, still stunned by her designation.

                “I’ve heard about you already. Word of a new wolf travels fast.” She rolls her eyes skyward. “And Tony has a big mouth.”

                “Yeah, he seemed chatty.” Bucky blinks a couple of times.

                There is something else to her scent. It’s fainter than her omega scent and different from her own. She smells like she’s been marked by an alpha. Not like a bonding, a smell that means they’ve mated recently. Someone has a claim to her. He realizes at once why he can tell. The scent is familiar because the same scent is right next to him. It’s Steve. Steve has marked her. She’s the First Omega.

                “Why don’t you come with me inside where we can talk more privately? I wouldn’t want too many details circulating.”

                Bucky slowly nods. He can’t help himself, he doesn’t like her. It’s nothing to do with her personality, he just can’t stand Steve’s scent on her. It’s offensive. What is he thinking? Steve has made it clear to all of the people who joked that he and Bucky are nothing but friends. Maybe he’s not even that to Bucky. What does he know about the alpha anyway? He desires him, that’s it. He knows nothing about him. Didn’t he hope to find someone who knew him? He did, but he realizes now that that is more trouble than good. Whatever is going on here is all because of a memory. Whatever Steve likes about him, it’s all because of a past life. He doesn’t remember Steve. He knew his scent, that’s it.

                Peggy leads him into her hut. It’s furnished by handmade wooden chairs and a table. On the wall there are several books that look like they are both wolf and human made. Some of them are very old. On the wall next to the book shelf is a mural with a funny tree pattern drawn horizontally. There are names written on each branch.

                “What’s that?” He asks.

                “That is our family tree.” Steve tell him as they sit. “We use it to keep straight who’s related to who. It’s useful in a pack this size.”  

                “How many are in the pack?” Bucky grips the edge of the table. It’s hard not to have another hand to fiddle with. He wishes he could fiddle. He’s not happy to be there anymore.

                “Two hundred and thirty two.” Peggy cuts in. “That includes you if you choose to stay.”

                “I have nowhere else to go.” Bucky wishes he did. He doesn’t understand the ache in his chest. He doesn’t like sitting here like a third wheel. What would they be doing if he wasn’t here? He imagines them kissing. His blood pressure rises. He’s never felt this kind of jealousy before and he hates it.

                “That’s not true. We have other packs that we trade with. North Peak isn’t far from here. The First Alpha of that pack is a nice wolf. I’m sure he’d be happy for a new addition. They are much bigger than we are. You could easily find a role and a mate if you wish.” Peggy explains.

                Bucky doesn’t want a mate but he doesn’t want to be there either. “I might like that.”

                Steve shifts in his seat and fixes Bucky with a concerned look. “Is there a problem with our pack?”

                Bucky doesn’t know how to respond to that. He can’t really justify how he feels without telling him straight out that he’s disappointed. That would mean he’d have to tell him he was interested and he’s just not going to bother. It was a passing fantasy, he’s only know him for a day.

                “I just… I want to keep my options open.” That seems noncommittal enough.

                Steve nods solemnly. Bucky has no idea what he’s thinking. He’s probably afraid he’s about to lose the Bucky he remembers as his childhood best friend. He should make it clear he’s already gone.

                “I’m not the person you remember.” Bucky says out of nowhere. Steve looks taken back by this sudden declaration. Bucky keeps going because he likes that look on Steve in his current mindset. Maybe he can make him hurt for making him hope. “I don’t remember our life together before. I didn’t even know my own name!” He raises his volume. “All I know is the cruelty of humans and the pain of electrocution! They tortured me to try and train me and then when they figured out how to hurt me, they sent me to kill their enemies like I was some kind of attack dog. That hurt me and they turned me into a monster!” Bucky yells.

                 Steve is stunned into silence. Every bit of hurt Bucky had wanted to inflict on him shows as plain as day on Steve’s face. “What did they do to you?” He asks with trepidation.

                 “I told you!” Bucky shouts. “I’m a monster!”

                 Steve and Peggy stare at him. Steve’s mouth twitches. He opens it like he’s about to speak a few times but he can’t find words. He closes his eyes and gulps. “Are you a danger to the pack?” He asks out a duty as the First Alpha.

                 “I don’t know.” He’s never shifted into _that_ _abomination_ without the command to do so. The disgusting monkeys truly did control their beast. The sharp anger he felt turns to bitter hatred.

                 Peggy turns her attention to Steve. “I’ve got the answers to my questions. I wanted to know where he comes from and I wanted to know if he plans to stay. If you’ve found him a den, perhaps it’s time he gets some rest.”

                 That sounds like more than a suggestion. He’s being dismissed. Bucky stands up. “I’ll find my own place to sleep. It can’t be any worse than sleeping in my cage.”

                 Steve stands up to stop him But Bucky is already out the door. He may be slow in his lupine form but he’s faster than any wolf like this. He takes off into the woods. He’ll find a cave or a nice pine tree to curl up under. He can’t stay there tonight, not while he feels like this.

                 “Bucky!” Steve calls to him. He hears heavy footfalls behind him. He picks up his pace. He can outrun him. He can outrun anything except his own head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying really hard to knock this out in two weeks. Next chapter is the final one in this season then we move on to spring . Yay spring! I'm doing all four seasons so you know. Enjoy the angst.


	5. Chapter 5

                The night spent under the cool pine tree calms him down. He dug out a nice hole under the bottom branches then curled up under the clean scented thick cover. The soft dirt was comfortable compared to the concreate he’s spent most of his life sleeping on. He wakes when a droplet of rain hits his lupine nose.

                Bucky sits up, brushing his head against the branch above him. Pine needles fall onto his fur. He’s alone. The woods are filled with the pitter patter of rain hitting bare branches. The evergreen he’s under is fairly soundless. He sets his head down and gazes out at the woods.

                What is he doing? Does he really plan on abandoning everything he’s just found over one little heartache? It was nothing. Just a day long crush. He can still be friends with Steve and maybe even Peggy. Whatever is going on there is none of his business. She’s old to be his First Omega. As he recalls, First Omegas are supposed to be young. He doesn’t know why. He’d like to ask. He can’t ask if he’s hiding.

                 Bucky crawls out of his nest and shakes off the pine needles. His ears clap against his head as he shakes. He looks back at his makeshift den. If someone comes this way they won’t be able to tell he has a hiding spot there. Now he knows where to come when he needs time alone.

                 He begins the long process of limping home with reluctance but the distinct sense that this is for the best.

.oOo.

                He ran about five miles in the night. After a while he shifts back to human form to make the trip go faster. He leisurely jogs up to the edge of the settlement, eyeing the wolf in the watchtower and giving a small nod. The wolf flips him off, it’s Clint. Bucky returns the gesture.

                “Bucky!”

                Bucky looks down. Steve is on the ground against the side of a hut scrambling to get up. Bucky flinches away when the alpha surges to his feet. Bucky keeps backing away but Steve just keeps coming. He corners him against a tree with his arms on either side of Bucky’s shoulders. Bucky’s never been so close to him before. He smells so good like this. Bucky thinks this might be what ‘protective alpha’ smells like. Bucky glances back and forth between Steve’s twisting lips and his pleading eyes. They are ridiculously clear with just a shimmer of water welling up around his lower lids. He doesn’t blink, he just stares at him and takes a deep breath. His powerful chest takes a long time to rise and fall, for the whole duration he keeps staring at Bucky like he’s the center of the universe.

                “Please.” Steve begs. “Please, don’t leave.”

                The rawness of his voice sounds like he’s been yelling for hours. Bucky ran away fast and went in an unusual direction. He circled around the settlement and went north instead of south. Did Steve spend the whole night calling for him? He didn’t hear a thing.

                “I don’t know what I’m doing.” Bucky admits. That’s true of just about everything in his life.

                “That’s okay, neither do I.” Steve laughs nervously. His hands go from barring Bucky from escaping to gently resting on his shoulders. This feels like he’s being taken into confidence. “I haven’t been First Alpha for very long. It’s barely been a year in fact. This whole thing just happened suddenly because we realized our old First Alpha was a bastard and if we didn’t act, he was going to hurt the omegas. Peggy asked me to challenge him for the good of the pack. I never would have put myself in this position if they didn’t need me. I have no idea how to run a pack!” Steve whispers harshly. “I took Peggy as my First Omega because she actually knows how to do this!” He stops and huffs. “I mean, I do care about her obviously and she’s very attractive but she’s old enough to be my mother. She can’t whelp anymore. The pack is angry at me for choosing an omega that can’t breed even though she was the best choice to help run the pack. This year I have to pick a different First Omega or who knows what will happen!” Steve groans.

                 Bucky stares at him with one eyebrow raised suspiciously. He feels that stupid attraction he felt for Steve the day before rear it’s obnoxious head again. He would like to be Steve’s First Omega. He’d like to care of a few of those little balls of joy he got to snuggle with yesterday, if they were Steve’s he’d like them even more. But he isn’t the answer to Steve’s problem. He’s an omega but he knows absolutely nothing about running a pack. He didn’t even known that a new First Omega can be chosen every year. He’d be able to do the whelping part but that’s about it. Bucky fixes Steve with a frustrated look that could easily be misconstrued as hostile. “I don’t get what you’re telling me here.”

                 Steve subtly cringes. He backs away from Bucky by only an arm’s length. Bucky rolls his shoulders as he steps to the side. “My point is… I don’t know what my point is.” Steve scrubs his face with his hands. He smacks his hands down on his hips and looks up towards the sky. “With all the craziness that’s about to happen in the next couple of months, I would very much like it if you were… around.”

                 “Why?” Bucky scoffs. “You don’t know me! I’ve been gone for longer than I was alive before I was taken!”

                 “I know!” Steve growls. “I’m sorry I don’t mean to growl, every time _that_ gets brought up I get angry. Losing you was the single most traumatic thing that has ever happened to me.”

                 “Oh really? It was traumatic for you?” Bucky sneers.

                 Steve’s face falls. He takes a couple of quick breaths. “You don’t remember do you?”

                 Bucky remembers pain and he remembers a small cage with a cloth covering it so he couldn’t see. “No. I don’t remember how it happened.”

                 Steve sniffles and nods. He looks down at the ground and takes a deep breath. “Do you want to know?”

                 Bucky has wanted to fill the blank in this part of his life’s story ever since he realized there was once a life outside his cage. “Yes.” Bucky whispers.

                 “We were playing. We wandered further than usual. I think we were chasing a rabbit or something, we never did see it. We were just puppies. We were raised together Buck, our mothers would take turns nursing each other’s litters, we shifted together for the first time, we caught our first frogs together. We shouldn’t have been out so far. We were seven years old and we didn’t understand that we weren’t invincible. You crossed a creek before me, that’s the only reason it was you not me, you were checking to see if it was safe. I was small back then, you looked after me. Then this-this evil _thing_ bit you!” Steve chokes. “It was like a pair of metal jaws. It grabbed you up high on your leg. You were screaming, I was screaming. There was so much blood. You begged me not to go. You didn’t want to be left but we needed help and I wasn’t strong enough to get you free. I ran home to get help but I wasn’t fast. I was so weak, by the time I was showing the First Alpha where you were I had to be carried. When we got there, you were gone. Something took you. No one would ever tell me what happened. I blamed myself for not being faster.”

                 “Steve.” Bucky stops him. There are tears running down the omega’s face. It’s not from some kind of flashback, those memories are gone and they aren’t coming back. He’s crying because of how sorry he is for Steve. Bucky can’t imagine what it must have been like to have been too late. Bucky is glad he can’t remember, he doesn’t want to know how scared Steve was. He doesn’t ever want Steve to be without him again. That’s a problem he can solve. He takes Steve’s hand in his. Steve looks down at it and does not shy away from squeezing Bucky’s fingers in return. “I’ll stay.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So no, Peggy and Steve are not mates. Bucky doesn't have to play second fiddle to anybody. Peggy is an amazing character who I want to incorporate in this story, but shes not going to be apart of a love triangle or something. To be clear, Steve does like her he just likes Bucky more. Further details on that will eventually follow. Thank you for your support and your messages on tumblr! You guys are so sweet and just so fragile. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells! XD Next chapter is spring. We will be earning that E rating shortly. Muahahahahaha! 
> 
> -The Trollop  
> http://thenotorioustrollop.tumblr.com/


	6. Spring

**Spring**

               Bucky rolls over in the darkness of his temporary den looking for a slightly more comfortable position to lie in. “Ugh.” He grunts as another sharp cramp spears him through the abdomen. Preheat cramping is the third worst thing ever when you throw out torture, which Bucky does. The second worst thing is a week post heat when he gushes blood from his asshole for about three days. That’s disgusting as well as painful and he doesn’t know why it happens. The humans used to mock him for it, like they were any better. He could smell it on their women every month. The women never insulted him over it. One came in to clean him up sometimes. She gave him a washcloth and a bowl of water. That made it a little better. The absolute worst pain happens in between the third and second. The worst is going through a heat with nothing but fingers to satisfy him. He’s done it seven times so far and every time he considered doing the vilest things imaginable to get relief. A filthy human attempted to assist him once. Once. That human no longer has external genitalia. Or a nose. He’s a wild animal, what idiot tries to fuck a wild animal? Honestly, stupid monkeys.

                “Would you like, stop turning. I can’t sleep.” Tony grumbles.

                Bucky has been forced to share a den with Tony because they are still ‘working’ on digging him his own. Bucky hasn’t seen progress since the first week of construction. He’d help but it’s hard to dig with one paw. He got stuck with Tony because he was the only remaining bachelor omega without a roommate. He’s got a history of fliting back and forth between whichever alpha or beta he finds pleasing at the time and no desire to whelp. Bucky doesn’t understand that. What more could you want? In a couple of days the answer to that question is going to become painfully clear. He’s going to want a knot like his life depends on it. This year he can actually have it. The only question is, whose knot will it be?

                He’s a gimpy three legged omega with few skills outside of settlement defense. An alpha that bred him would get pups but not much else. He supposes the warmth of bonding to another wolf could also be a perk, but he’d only do that with someone he cares for. Bucky only feels actual affection and desire for one alpha and he’s his best friend. Steve _is_ his best friend, there is no denying that anymore. He never feels as good and happy as he does when he’s around Steve. He misses him when he’s gone. Whenever he thinks of funny things, he immediately wants to tell Steve about it. The best part of his day is when they sit down by the fire to enjoy some meat from whatever the hunting party brought home that day. They talk for a long time, usually about nothing but sometimes about the past. Just the other day he found out why he’s named Bucky. According to Steve, when he was a pup if you touched his back he’d jump up and make a funny bucking movement. Steve has tried to get him to do it when they are in lupine form a couple of times but usually that just ends in play fighting, no bucking. It’s a lot of fun to fight with Steve. He doesn’t worry about hurting him and he likes it when Steve wins. Sometimes he lets him just so Steve will pin him down in submission.

                “And now you smell. Seriously, go to sleep.” Tony grumps.

                “Fuck off Tony.”

                “Speaking of that.” Tony rolls over so he lies on his back. “You planning on doing The Mate Matching?”

                “What’s that?” Bucky knows there is some kind of system but he’s never discussed it explicitly with anyone.

                “It’s the thing we do in spring if you don’t have somebody lined up to fuck and you don’t want to go through it solo.”

                Bucky scoffs. “I’m definitely not doing it alone ever again.”

                “Well good, we always need more omegas. It’s pretty simple really. You tell Steve or Peggy that you want in and they’ll put you on a list. The alphas get the list at the start of The Matching.  Then in order of rank, they pick which omega they want for The Mating. If two alphas want the same omega, which always happens, the challenger fights the higher ranked alpha for the right to mate with their chosen omega. If he wins he gets first dibs and so on until they establish an order.”

                “Wait, so does the omega have to pick the alpha that wins?” Bucky asks concernedly. At that point he’s not going to care as long as they have a knot, but he’d still like to have the option.

                “Oh hell yeah!” Tony hoots. “You can turn down all of the knots heads if you want! They just get presented to you in the order they established. Most omegas choose the winner because they were the biggest and the strongest.”

                “What about the First Alpha? Does he ever lose?” Bucky can’t imagine a reason anyone would turn down Steve.

                “No, not that I’ve heard of. The First Alpha always gets his first pick. He always has to pick, but he can pick the same omega every year if he likes. That’s usually what they do once they have an omega who whelps a healthy litter for them. It’s hairy when the First Alpha is unspoken for though, you’ll get to see it this time of course. Steve didn’t get to be First Alpha with his winning personality alone. Sometimes people won’t even bother to challenge the First Alpha unless he wants a particularly desirable omega.”

                “What exactly constitutes a prized omega anyway?” Bucky asks. The omegas in this pack are all so different it’s hard to say.

                “Mostly it’s a pretty face and a strong scent. Wide hips, nice fur, good health, you know the usual. Oh and…” Tony chuckles and nudges Bucky with his shoulder. “Virginity, of course. You’re going to be a hot ticket this year. You already smell bad to me which must mean you smell mouthwatering to the alphas. It’s gonna be bad in a week when heat actually starts. I don’t think we have any other virgin omegas this year. They usually pick someone before The Mate Match.”

                “So… should I pick someone?” Bucky could ask Steve but he can’t if he’s got to be in The Mate Match. He knows plenty of other alphas but Steve is the only one he’d choose while still as lucid as he is. He likes Steve as a friend and as a potential lover which is more than he can say for any of the others. There are plenty he could see himself spending the season with but not baring their pups.

                “Nah, this will be fun. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll like who you wind up with.” Tony chuckles to himself knowingly. Bucky hates it when he does that. He rolls over and tries to get some sleep.

.oOo.

                The next day is sunny so they take the pups to a nearby meadow filled mostly by tall grass with some wild flowers. Bucky watches the pups move in the grass. Some of the older ones are visible above the grass but the little ones can only be identified by where the grass is moving. Bucky smiles as two of them bump into each other. They start barking at each other but end up playing.Three other omegas are accompanying Bucky on pup duty that day. Bucky usually works as some kind of security detail. He likes to watch the pups best.

                He sits in his wolf form on the outskirts of the meadow watching for predators or for any straying pups. He’s monitoring one second, the next he’s tumbling through the grass. The huge tawny alpha 'snuck up' on him and tackled him from behind. Bucky yelps and snaps at the thick fur around Steve’s neck, snagging a clump. Steve smacks his head out of the way but Bucky has got a good foot hold with his back paws. He straightens his spine and launches Steve backward with a hard head butt to the stomach. Steve hits a tree and shifts back into man form. He’s laughing and rubbing his head.

                “Oww! Buck! That hurt!” He chuckles. “You mad at me?”

                Bucky shifts so he can talk. He spits and sputters, trying to get Steve’s fur out of his mouth. Some is still stuck to his lip. He gives Steve a dirty look that says to be quiet. Never one to heed a warning, Steve smirks and puffs out his chest.

                “What’s the matter? Don’t like the taste of me?”

                “Nah, you taste fine. It’s the look on your smug mug I can’t stand.” Bucky shakes his head. “Any particular reason you’re paying me a visit or are you just here to be a punk?”

                “You don’t have to be a jerk just because I got the jump on you.” Steve leans forward and picks the fur off Bucky’s lip. Bucky cuts his eyes to the far right. The opposite side of his mouth curls.

                “Pretty sure you played dirty.” Bucky comments quietly. He’d be happy to be this close to Steve all day. He wishes he’d lean forward and kiss the spot he just cleaned. The alpha doesn’t though, he just gazes at him with the thoughtful look that seems to always accompany him and his ridiculous eyelashes when at this angle.

                “Really? Because I’m pretty sure you let me.” Steve raises an eyebrow and tilts his head slightly during his inquiry. “You were down wind. You should have smelled me.”

                Bucky did smell him. He swears he can smell Steve when he’s a mile away. He’s scent is like a beacon it’s so strong to him. He wishes he could ask someone without admitting how much it stands out to him. Steve is almost in rut. He smells virile and spicy like a cedar tree on top of his usual Steve musk. His rut scent is stronger than the other alphas’ but Bucky guesses that’s because he’s their leader.

                “Musta been in my own little world.” Bucky shrugs. “Heat’s coming up and all, I get distracted.” That’s not true, he’s hyper aware not distracted.

                “Okay…” Steve doesn’t seem to be buying it. “Anything else you’d like to lie about or is that all?” Steve quirks his head again.

                Bucky shoves Steve’s shoulder and stands up. “Shut up Steve. You don’t know everything.”

                “Which is why I’m here. I need to know if you’re doing The Mate Match.” Steve asks from where he remains sitting in the grass. He looks up at Bucky with an odd expression on his chiseled face. Bucky can’t pin it at the moment, he’s concerned his cock’s about to firm up right in the alpha’s face. Then he’d have to live in hiding for the rest of his shameful life.

                “And what if I’m not?” Bucky asks just to see how Steve reacts. Steve doesn’t flinch.

                “Then I guess, I’m happy you found someone but I don’t think you have.” Steve keeps unwavering eye contact with him, it’s slightly unnerving.

                “I haven’t found anyone, so I guess that means I’m in.”

                Steve looks down at the grass. He smiles to himself as he gets up. “Okay then. I’ll put you on the list.”

                “Make sure you do.” Bucky looks Steve up and down as he goes. “Hold up.” He tells him and takes a few steps after him.

                “What?” Steve turns around expectantly, hopefully even.

                Bucky circles around him and picks off the piece of grass that was stuck to his butt. He gives the alphas superb butt cheek a gentle smack for reasons he doesn’t fully comprehend. It’s an impulse he doesn’t regret when he sees the look on Steve’s face. He’s actually blushing.

                “You had grass stuck on you.” Bucky explains a bit sheepishly. He can’t help but glance at the way Steve’s dick has flushed and enlarged with arousal.

                Steve bites his lip. “Word of advice, don’t do that to anybody else.” Steve clears his throat. “Instincts Buck, instincts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we launched forward a few months and now things are... sexual tension? Danger, danger! High voltage! When we touch, when we kiss.  
> -The Trollop
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Don't you wanna know why we keep starting fires? It's my desire! It's MY desire!


	7. Chapter 7

                Natasha is the one to come pick up her pups from Bucky’s care. They are a little over four months old and very curious about things. Bucky constantly has to make sure they don’t go running off to inspect some interesting smell.  Today they are mostly interested in him for some reason. He’s been getting quite a few ‘interested’ looks from wolves of all ages today. Bucky doesn’t get why the pups are so absorbed but he thinks he knows why almost every alpha he sees looks like he wants to mount him right there and then. It’s a bit frustrating but flattering. Even Natasha seems to be impressed. She shakes her head when she sees him.

                “You smell desperately horny.” She notes casually. Bucky smiles shyly and shrugs.

                “I kinda am. It’s the season, you know.” Bucky tells her. He likes Natasha, she’s quiet but sincere. He remembers a question he had and decides now’s a good time to ask. “Will you be in The Mating Match this year?”

                Natasha smirks. “Well I am Second Alpha.” She waggles an eyebrow. “But no, I will be abstaining. Phil, Clint, and I are spending it together. Clint’s not going to whelp this year because he’s still nursing, so it’s just for fun.”

                “Good.” Bucky nods. He still doesn’t quite get what’s going on there. “I guess I’m in this year and I don’t really know what to expect. Tony says alphas might fight for me and then I get to pick one of them. When do I get to find out who’s fighting over me?” He asks as he scoops up Nat’s pups from the pile of sleeping babies cuddled up by his hip where he sits.

                “You don’t get to know until the ceremony.” She explains. “They make a big show out of it.” Her nose crinkles when he leans closer to hand the pups to her. “Are you going to the river to take a bath with the other omegas?”

                Bucky hadn’t heard anything about that. “No… should I?”

                “You should.” She nods vehemently. “It’s so bad, it’s good. Really Bucky, keep an eye out. Alphas are unpredictable during rut, even a good alpha can make terrible mistakes. You… just watch out.”

                “I guess I’ll go to the river then.” Bucky looks down at the other pups he was watching. “What about them?”

                “I’ll take care of it. They should be leaving any minute headed south. Clint’s with them, look for him.”

                “Right.” That would explain why he wasn’t invited. Clint still hates him for no good reason. Bucky dislodges the pups from around him and gets up to go find the omegas.

.oOo.

                “Would you hurry up already?! How long does it take to find soap?!” Clint demands. Tony is taking his good sweet time putzing around his hut looking for things.

                “I’m just trying to find an extra washcloth, gimme a second.”

                “We already have enough for everyone! Let’s go!” He waves his arms in the direction of the river.

                Bucky walks around to the other side of the hut to where the group can see him. “Hey _everybody_ , mind if I tag along?” Bucky asks the omegas. Some of them look guilty, Clint just looks pissed.

                Tony hops out of his hut with a bar of soap and a washcloth for Bucky. “There you are, I wondered when you were going to get here. These are for you. Come on, let’s go before the water gets any colder.” Clint glares at Tony, he now realizes what he did. Tony smiles back at Clint pleasantly. “What? Couldn’t forget my roommate could I?”

.oOo.

                The river is shallow enough that the water only comes up to their knees. It’s warmish and slow moving today which makes it a perfect spot for a bath. Each omega sets up their spot on a large rock or log and begins the process of cleaning themselves. Tony leaves his soap next to Bucky’s on the same rock. Bucky watches him and figures out how bathing is supposed to work. He’s never done it before like this. Usually he cleans himself in his lupine form and that’s good enough. A quick splash of water to his face is his only consistent daily routine.

                Of course preheat is different. All omegas develop abnormally strong scents during heat. The best way to keep the pack from dissolving into anarchy is to have all of them bathe at least once before The Mating Match. Bucky starts by scrubbing himself with sand in his best approximation of how Tony does it.

                Tony gives him an assessing look up and down. “You know, I appreciate your desire but I’m not into other omegas.”

                “I wasn’t looking at you.” Bucky huffs, a bit embarrassed. “I was looking at what you were doing.” Bucky doesn’t think that sounds better but hopefully Tony won’t continue to fluster him.

                Tony stays oddly silent. Thoughtful silence is rare for him. Normally whatever thing pops into his head, it’s coming out of his mouth at the same time. “You ever had a bath before?” He asks as he keeps nonchalantly washing himself. Bucky is glad he’s also washing so he doesn’t have to look at Tony when he answers.

                “No. I’ve been hosed down plenty of times but I’ve never bathed.” Bucky scrubs under his arms and around his neck where his bonding glands are tender. The glands on an omega’s neck are responsible for releasing bonding hormones if the omega is bitten by an alpha. The bite seals the pair together permanently forever afterward. That doesn’t happen often Bucky gathers. He’s seen only three omegas out of the sixty in their pack that have a bond bite.

                “Shit. That’s rough.” Tony hisses. “Humans are pretty much the worst thing on earth. They make great stuff, but their society is absolute trash.”

                “I think their stuff is just as bad as they are, but that’s just me.”

                “Have you had coffee yet? No? We can fix that.”

                A young omega named Peter splashes his way over to them looking like he means to cause mischief. Bucky has talked to him a couple of times. This will be his first heat with a partner too. “Hey Bucky! Your rock looks just like The Breeding Stone. Trying to get a little practice in before the big event?” Peter teases. The other omegas nearby turn their heads to look over at the rock and omega in question.

                “No! It doesn’t even…” Bucky takes a step to the side to see it from another direction. “Okay it looks like the rock but I’ve got nothing to do with it!” He cries defensively. He’s turning pink at just the thought of being fucked on his back atop that thing. Being fucked anywhere would get him blushing but the added name of the thing somehow makes it better.

                “Yeah right! Not if Steve gets his way!” Tony jibes.

                Bucky whines and sits down in the water to stop anything even more embarrassing from happening. It’s very cold on his tender bits but it’s a lot better than display _that_ sort of interest to these nosey bitches.

                “Looks like you wouldn’t mind that much either. Good, we might actually have good luck this year… for once.” Peter sighs.

“Great, you can have your OWN pups!” Clint hollers from a few yards away where he was listening in.

                Tony makes an approving face. “When The First Couple does it mechanically it kind of ruins the mood for everyone. I mean, we all still screw like crazy but it’s kind of out of instinct and less out of… passion?”

                “Speak for yourself!” Clint barks again. He actually bothers to barge over to them so he can point in Bucky’s face. “You may think I’m a bad mother and a cheating omega, but my den is a happy loving place! It’s not my fault I can’t hear them! It’s getting better okay?! Their noises get lower as they get older. I hear low noises better. Which for the record, means I have no trouble hearing my partner’s groans of pleasure when I let them knot me!” Clint huffs while he fixes Bucky with an accusatory glare. Everyone in the river is staring in shock at the riled up Second Omega.

                Bucky blinks a couple of times in confusion. “I really…don’t care…at all.” Bucky raises his eyebrows. “When you met me, I’d been on the run for three days straight. If they told me the only place I could sleep was in a pile of someone else’s shit, that’s where I would have slept. Really, I don’t give a damn about what you do with Natasha and Phil and it’s none of my business what kind of mother you are. I’m a repressed, virgin omega, so I like pups. That’s it.” Bucky looks at the rest of the quietly horrified wolves. It is not common for an omega with no rank to talk like that to an offended Second Omega. It’s different than the civil disobedience Tony thrives at, this is outright defiance even if the way he’s doing it is actually de-escalating the conflict. Bucky should have just bowed his head and nodded. There should now be some kind of a fight to reestablish dominance.

                Instead, Clint bites his lip and scowls. He looks Bucky over one more time. “So you don’t think another omega should be in charge of raising my babies?”

                No.” Bucky scoffs. “Why do _you_ think that _I_ think that?”

                “Because that’s what-!” Clint turns his head away and rubs his chin in aggravation. “Never mind.” He waves it off. “ _I_ think…” He takes a deep breath. “You and I might have gotten off on the wrong paw.”

                “That’s not hard to do. I am missing one.” Bucky smirks.

                Clint snorts and smacks his lips. “You and I should talk more, once we aren’t the center of attention.”

                “Alright then. Maybe then you could tell me why people are joking about me, Steve, and The Breeding Stone?”

                “Wait.” Clint holds up a hand. “You entered into The Matching Match and you don’t know about The Breeding Stone?”

                “Nooo…” Bucky glares over at Tony who innocently washes his hair and refuses to make eye contact. “Should I have?”

                “Um, yeah it’s a pretty big deal! That’s the whole reason we do the ceremony. The First Alpha selects his omega and takes them on The Breeding Stone to bless the season. When I say ‘take’ I mean publicly fucks them while the whole pack watches. It’s the first and most important job of The First Omega! How did you not get told about this?!” Clint yells. “Steve actually _likes_ you! If you entered, he must think you’re okay with this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention there would be a kinky ritualized sex scene? I feel like that's in the tag, so you should have perhaps anticipated this. If you are like 'NNooooo' well then... skip that part I guess. Once we get into a more thorough explanation I think it should clear up why this is not totally random and is actually an integral part of how the pack plans their pregnancies. Yeah, the public sex determines birth rates for the pack. More on how in chapters to come! 
> 
> -The Trollop


	8. Chapter 8

                Bucky goes sprinting through the forest, naked and still damp from the river. His remaining arm swings to keep balance while he tears through the low brush and anything else in his way.

                When he arrives at the settlement there is an unexpected, large group of unfamiliar wolves milling around in the amphitheater. There must be at least a hundred of them. Bucky spots Steve in his man form talking with the biggest person Bucky has ever seen. His instincts promptly inform him that this one would also be an acceptable father for his pups. When he gets closer he sees that his first assessment is spot on. This alpha is beautiful with his beard and long golden hair. Apparently he’s Steve’s friend.

                “Well I am sorry to have surprised you, but very happy to see you again.” The alpha booms. He embraces Steve like a long lost brother. Steve hugs him back and grunts when he’s squeezed. The moment Bucky is downwind of them, all of that stops. Steve lets go of his friend and takes a step towards Bucky. The new alpha’s expression looks confused. Bucky feels that way too and then suddenly he gets it. Steve starts growling possessively at his friend as he backs up. He reaches behind him, unwilling to take his eyes away from the threat, to grab onto Bucky. Bucky takes his hand and finds himself being pulled almost against Steve’s body. Steve holds him there firmly while he snarls viciously. The other alpha puts his hands up in surrender.

                A lithe, elegant omega appears out of nowhere from behind the ‘friend’ alpha. “Well that went from heartfelt to throat-ripping unusually fast. Oh the power of a pretty face and a tight quim, eh Thor?” The omega’s voice is like a velvety purr. He leans an elbow on the new alpha’s shoulder and takes stock of the defensive alpha and Bucky. “Virgins, always bringing out the beast in people.”

                “Loki.” The alpha named Thor says in a low, commanding tone. “Try to retain some bit of civility. These are my friends.” He chuckles at Steve. That throws off Steve’s snarl/growl routine. “Even if they have temporarily forgotten that.”

                Steve falls silent and shakes his head to try and regain himself. He lets go of Bucky’s hand. Bucky barely blurts a tiny whine before Steve takes it again. Steve looks from their entwined fingers up to Bucky’s face to Thor and Loki.

                “I am so sorry!” Steve laughs nervously. “Wow! I mean wow!” The realization of how gone he was hits him gradually. “That was really something. I don’t think I’ve ever lost it like that before.”

                “Ha!” Thor bellows. “Wait until you have a litter on the way. It will happen every hour!” Thor puts an arm around Loki’s waist. The omega doesn’t make a move to leave the alpha’s side but his continence seems tested. “You remember my brother Loki?”

                “How could I ever forget?” Steve’s laugh turns from awkward to genuinely humored over some past memory. “There is still a whole generation of pups that won’t go to bed unless they’ve turned around in circles three times before laying down.”

                Loki smirks with amusement. “Well, never say my pack never taught yours anything.”

                Steve faces Bucky, still holding his hand comfortingly, to who exactly it is more a comfort is uncertain. “This is The First Pair from our sister pack, The North Peak Pack. They are a little early, but they always come before The Mating Match so that anyone who wants to join us from their pack can. And uh, visa versa.” Steve’s eyes flash from Bucky to Thor. Bucky has no idea what is going on but the presence of the other First Alpha is clearly driving Steve crazy. Everything was fine before Bucky got there.

                “While you talk that over with the enchanting omega, I’ll talk to my alphas and see who wants to hunt tonight.”

                Steve’s lip curls into a snarl when Thor says ‘enchanting’. Bucky frowns in confusion.

                “Steve?” He asks.

                “I’m sorry I don’t know what’s come over me.” Steve rubs his eye with the heel of his hand. “Are you alright? Do you need anyhing?”

                “I’m fine I just came to talk about something…” Bucky doesn’t think this is the right place to talk. “I can ask later. It’s fine.” What is he even going to ask? If he outright protests to The Breeding Stone he’d be insinuating that Steve will choose him and then what? What’s he going to do? He wishes he could talk to Steve as just a friend and not someone he dearly hopes will be his mate this season but that’s impossible. No matter what, Steve will still know. “What’s going on?” Bucky gestures with his shoulder towards the large gathering of foreign wolves.

                “It’s tradition for our sister pack to feast with us before we mingle, dance and party. Sorry, I meant to tell you but it keeps slipping my mind when I see you. They’ll be here for two days. We’re about to go hunting. Do you want to come?”

                “Steve.” Bucky rolls his mutilated shoulder. “Come on, are you serious?”

                “You could still come.” Steve purses his lips.

                “No, I think I’ll stay here with my dignity intact. I’ll see you when you bring home a nice big stag, okay?” Bucky squeezes his fingers before he lets his hand go. He forgot he’d been holding on this whole time.

                Steve nods back while he stares into Bucky’s eyes. “Okay. You should… maybe…” Steve grunts and looks around at all the foreign alphas who are looking at Bucky with unbridled lust in their gazes. Bucky does not understand what these people see in him.

                “What? You want me to go hide?” Bucky snorts. Steve’s mouth opens like he’s going to protest but he says nothing. “I’m not going to hide but I might go nap in my den.” Bucky gets maybe too much pleasure from how excited Steve looks.

                “Great, that sounds great! Enjoy your nap, take as long as you like.” Steve urges him in the direction of the dens. Bucky gives him an amused, critical look before getting on his way.

                Steve watches him go until he can’t be seen anymore.

.oOo.

                Bucky is almost to his den when he’s stopped. The wolf that approaches him in his man form is named Brock. He’s Steve’s Fourteenth Alpha and very respected for his hunting skills by the pack. He used to be much higher ranked before Steve took power. Bucky’s never had any trouble with him before. Still, Bucky keeps his den to his back when Brock approaches.

                “Bucky, how are you?” He asks with a pleasant smile.

                “Fine, just about to get some rest. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

                “Preheat?” Brock asks interestedly.

                “What else?” Bucky chuckles once, humorlessly.

                “Yeah right, I gotcha.” Brock licks his lips thoughtful. “I guess I won’t keep you long then. Is this your first year in the Mating Match?”

                “It is.” Bucky answers as succinctly as possible.

                “You know there is a good chance you might end up on The Breeding Stone if you go through with this?” Brock’s body language communicates openness and ‘leveling’ but Bucky’s not sure if that’s what’s really going on here. He feels like he’s being sold something. “I’m not saying Steve is a bad guy or that he won’t take care of you, but this is your first time with an alpha we’re talking about here. You sure you want to experience that on a pedestal for the whole pack to see? It seems to me like that ought to be private and you know, intimate. A sweet omega like you deserves a lot better than taking it from behind in your wolf form for their first. You get what I’m saying?”

                “You don’t think I should do The Mating Match?” Bucky asks skeptically.

                “I’m offering to help you through your heat.” Brock says as if he’s offering a huge sacrifice.

                “Well, I guess if you’re really so worried about it. You can claim me during the matching. You’re a strong Alpha, you’ve got a good chance of getting me.” Bucky shrugs.

                Brock smiles and hangs his head. “I think you mean to say I’ll be in line to challenge.”

                “There isn’t any guarantee Steve is going to pick me. I’d probably be a bad choice for him. He needs an omega that knows how to run the pack.”

                “You clearly have no idea what your scent is making a man capable of.” Brock leers at him hungrily. Bucky backs up closer to his den. He realizes that he’s essentially cornered himself if Brock chases him inside. It’s been a long time since he’s killed anyone, he was really hoping to go a lot longer.

                “Brock!” Natasha barks at him from their left side. Bucky and Brock both turn to look at The Second Alpha where she stands giving The Fourteenth Alpha a disproving glare. “We’re leaving for the hunt. First Alpha expects you to be with us. Now.”

                Bucky turns and retreats into his den before Brock can say another word. The only nice thing about living in a cage is the ability to lock the door. As he is now in his den without an alpha, he’s vulnerable. He should talk to Tony about getting him something to use for self-defense when he’s in his more capable but less sharp, human form. He’d hate to have to resort to trying to shift into that _thing_ just to save himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inexplicably, incest is not frowned upon in this universe. Bonus for Loki referencing his stupid 'quim line' from The Avengers. Also, I really don't like Brock.
> 
> Up next the two F's! No not 'fighting' and 'fucking'! Fighting and FEASTING!
> 
> -The Trollop


	9. Chapter 9

               “Bucky?!” Steve yells into the omega’s den worriedly. Natasha must have told him about Brock when they got back from the hunt. It’s been a few hours. “Are you alright?” Steve’s rut scent has taken on the additional twinge of chicken broth. Bucky doesn’t know what that means but it must have some kind of significance if it’s so strong. He gets up out of his bedding and pads over to the entrance in his lupine form.  He sticks his head outside and looks at Steve. His nose twitches curiously at the change in his scent. “There you are!” Steve sinks down to his knees and hugs Bucky around his neck. On his knees, Steve is just slightly shorter than Bucky’s lupine form. Bucky is at least two hundred and fifty pounds of wolf. When Steve is in his lupine form, he’s another seventy five pounds bigger. The way he is now, clung onto Bucky’s neck, he seems small.

                Bucky nuzzles against Steve’s head. Steve takes his ears and strokes them softly. He rubs their jowls together without thinking about it. Even with Steve in his man form, this is still classic scent marking. Bucky is surprised at how fervently Steve does it. He holds his head back a little and gives him a concerned look. Steve takes a second to catch onto what the trouble is.

                “Oh… uh.” Steve’s mouth hangs open. “I’m sorry… that was a bit much.” The chicken broth smell gets stronger. It almost stinks, Bucky didn’t think it was possible for him to find Steve’s scent irritating but this is. Bucky turns his head and rubs his other furry cheek against Steve’s face. Steve is stunned. There is a faint hopeful upturn to the corners of his mouth. Bucky shifts into his man form and sits so he’s on his knees like Steve.

                “It’s okay. You’re my best friend. Things like that happens between best friends, right?”

                Steve takes a short little breath and hangs his head. “Yeah, Buck. I think that’s a friend thing too.” For just an instant, Bucky thought he saw sadness in Steve’s eyes.

                Bucky tries to find the words but he can’t muster the courage for the right ones. “Brock isn’t my friend, Steve. I’d never let him put his scent on me like that.”

                Steve slowly looks up at him. Bucky can hear his heart rate increase. The chicken broth smell fades away. It’s replaced by something that smells warm. “You wouldn’t?”

                Bucky knows he should play it off like that was obvious, but for some reason he feels like he should keep pushing forward onto this thin ice. “No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t let anybody else do that to me. You’re damn lucky you’re you or you’d be in a puddle of your own blood right now.” Bucky snorts and smiles. Steve beams back at him.

                “Really?” The First Alpha looks heartwarmingly touched.

                “Really.” Bucky gets up. “Did you bring me back that stag I requested?” Bucky asks as he playfully gives Steve’s hair a gentle musing.

                “I brought you three.” Steve puffs up with pride.

                “Oh well, aren’t you a big strong alpha.” Bucky jokes. He goes to grab some clothes from the den before he goes with Steve to feast. “Our pups will be so well cared for.”

                It was a joke. It was a dumb, offhanded joke but neither of them can completely dismiss it as that. The implications of what Bucky just said hits Bucky along with a new wave of Steve’s scent. This is like nothing he’s ever smelled on Steve before. This is what pure, barely contained want smells like.

                Steve could take him right now in his den, he realizes. Steve probably came there because he was worried Bucky had somehow done just that with Brock. Bucky doesn’t know what the rules of mating season are. He’s not sure if Steve is allowed to have him now even if they both want it. He’s not technically in heat yet, he’s closer than any of the other omegas but he’s still two days away. That doesn’t stop his insides from ringing themselves together like a washcloth at the river. He feels the first trickle of _it_ on his thigh and bolts so that he’s not forced to present his ass to Steve in the tight entrance of the den.

                Steve is hanging on the outside of the den with his fingers digging into the compacted dirt cliff face. It takes immense strength of will to stop himself from pursuing. His knuckles are turning white and his fingertips are on the verge of bruising from the force of his grip. He makes a soft ‘ah’ noise as he takes a deep breath of the smell of Bucky’s slick. His head bobs a few times as his mind swims.

                Bucky grabs some of his bedding and does his best to clean away the slick. There wasn’t much of it thankfully, he’s not that deep into it yet. He’s not sure what he’s reacting to more, his stupid comment about ‘our pups’ or Steve’s reaction to it. Bucky is naïve but he’s not stupid. Steve wants there to be ‘our pups’! He sure has been subtle about it, but Bucky is now almost completely sure that even if Steve doesn’t choose him to be First Omega, he certainly wants him. He puts on his clothes fast and brings a pair for Steve.

                When he gets to the outside of the den Steve is staring at him intently. The alpha’s cheeks are rosy and there is no hiding his erection. Bucky spends half a second too long looking at it. He feels ridiculous. Steve is watching everything he does, he just saw him sizing up his cock like the curious virgin he is. Bucky extends the clothes to Steve as a sign of truce. Steve’s eyes stay fixed on him.

                “We had… we had-we…” Steve shakes his head to get himself together. “We should go eat! I’m supposed to be there right now! I just came here first because I wanted to…” Bucky blinks at him owlishly. “See you.”

                “Okay… food then.”

                Bucky waits for Steve to get dressed and tries to keep himself from peaking at the way Steve tucks himself into his pants. He isn’t successful and neither is Steve really. His bulge is still very noticeable in the thinning cotton sweats. Bucky’s hardly better in the thinner of the two pairs, but at least he’s got the advantage of not being so big to begin with. They walk together awkwardly in companionable silence.  

.oOo.

                The whole pack is gathered in and around the amphitheater with the North Peak Pack intermixed amongst them. The Breeding Stone is covered with a huge bouquet of wild flowers. In front of the stone are the three slaughtered stags that are being cut into servings and handed off to any wolf who asks. The whole scene is lit by an enormous fire between The Breeding Stone and the rest of the settlement.

                “Nice of you to show up.” Natasha hisses at Steve when she sees him and Bucky approaching the amphitheater.

                “Sorry.” Is all Steve can manage for an apology before Peggy is grabbing him by the arms and giving him a curious once over. Bucky’s shoulders tense up as he watches her handle Steve. It’s just a motherly fixing up to make him presentable. He’s very grateful that she pays no attention of his stubborn erection. Bucky glances around and notices that many of the alphas who are with fertile omegas are in much the same way. Maybe he’s wrong. This might just be a biological thing that happens to alphas right before rut. Maybe there are no feelings and he’s really just made Steve feel uncomfortable. He should have known better than to run his mouth off like that.

                 Bucky keeps walking once Steve’s close pack members engulf him to get him ready for some ritual that Bucky hasn’t been let in on. He knows it’s not the big one he was slightly excited for a moment ago, that’s in three days. “Buck! Wait!” Steve calls for him. Bucky turns around and looks at the alpha that is now shoving off his entourage. “Don’t go far?” He pleads. Bucky stays put. His mouth drops open a little. He sighs, feeling like an idiot for different reasons from one second to the next.

                 “I’m not going anywhere.” He promises and takes Steve’s hand. Steve holds his fingertips snugly in his grip. Around them, the wolves who occupy the highest ranks in East Ridge Pack watch their First Alpha with acute interest. Steve takes a step towards Bucky. The alpha makes a pleased humming noise in his chest. Bucky has no idea what he’s supposed to do now. He’d be happy to stand there and bask in Steve’s presence the whole night but he’s pretty sure that’s not what comes next. How can he know what doesn’t come next if he doesn’t know what does? Instinct tells him to present his neck but that is entirely too forward a gesture to make right now in front of the whole pack. He looks from the pack, to the stags, to Steve, then down at their hands.

                  “I have to make an announcement now, it’s part of The Mating Match. Just do what the other omegas do and we’ll eat when it’s over.” Steve tells him.

                  Oh. Shit. He almost forgot. How could he almost forget? He’s about to yell to get Steve’s attention but what is he going to say? ‘Stop, I don’t want to do this?’ But he does want to do this. He wants it very badly but he doesn’t want to be taken in some ritual for his first time. His whole life has been on display for the disgusting humans, is it wrong to want one thing for just him and the person he gives it to? But Steve has already walked away and it’s too late.  

                  The First Alpha steps in front of the meat preparation area. All eyes are on him where he stands looking very authoritative. “Pack members and guests, it’s my pleasure tonight to welcome you to the first gathering of spring. Tonight marks the beginning of mating season and all that that entails.” There is some knowing chuckles from the crowd. “As always, tonight’s gathering marks the beginning of The Mate Matching sometimes called ‘The Mating Matches’ because we alphas do tend to not agree on whom deserves whom.” More laughter and quiet chatter starts up. “Of course in order for us knot heads to start laying into one another, we need to know who is giving us the pleasure of courting them this season. I want to remind all of you alphas that just because these omegas are in The Mate Matching, does not mean that they are consenting to being with any of you for their heat. They have the right to refuse any of us, at any time, even after they have accepted your offer on the final night. Our friendly betas are, as always, vigilantly protecting our omegas from any threat and will not back down on an alpha’s orders. Even if that alpha is me.” Steve lets that settle in before he begins again. “With that understood, can we please have East Ridge Pack’s participating omegas line up in front of The Breeding Stone, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are about four different variations of this scene now. Sometimes I write something and go, 'Well that was too easy, now I've ruined the drama of next chapter.' And then I have to re-write it. I usually go with my gut instinct because that's where most of my best stuff comes from but these thrice written chapters do have their merits. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	10. Chapter 10

                The lineup lasts only a few minutes. Peggy reads their names off the list while the omegas stand there or wave. Most of the alphas have already seen the list but this is the first time they’ve seen the faces and heard the names at the same time. Bucky feels odd to be standing there having people decide whether or not they want to mate with him. When they read his name, Steve glances over at him and gives him a quick smile. Bucky smiles back. He tries not to make eye contact with the other alphas. He doesn’t particularly want their attention. Still, he feels like he gets it.

                When the lineup is over, Bucky quickly retreats to Steve’s side. Steve puts a hand on his back when he gets close. His palm is warm against him, Steve must be a furnace to sleep next to. The alpha directs Bucky to stand aside while The North Peak Pack does their version of the same ritual. Thor’s speech is less eloquent than Steve’s.

                “You all know how this works, choose who you like and fight the competition bravely. If you pick one of _my_ omegas, you’re going to need much more than bravery!” He growls playfully. Steve coughs to hide a laugh. “And of course, be respectful. The betas of The East Ridge Pack are a fearsome lot but North Peak Betas will disembowel you if you wrong an omega in heat.” Thor smirks. “And I'll gladly help.”

                Bucky looks at Steve out of the corner of his eyes. Steve is looking right back at him. “Hey.” Bucky bumps Steve with his side. Steve nudges him back gently.

                “Yeah?”

                “Can we talk for a second?” Bucky asks nervously.

                “Of course, let’s go over behind that.” He gestures to Tony’s hut. Bucky follows him to where they can speak more privately. There is an intimate darkness surrounding them. The firelight is blocked by the hut but the night is lit by moonlight. It's almost a full moon. “What is it?” Steve asks concernedly.

                “I… I’ve never been with anyone before.” Bucky admits. He bites his lip.

                “What do you mean ‘with’? You mean like…” Steve blushes. “Oh… that would explain the scent.”

                “No shit!” Bucky scoffs, he too is flushing pink. “I haven’t exactly had much contact with my own kind!”

                “Well-!” Steve snorts. He cocks an eyebrow and shifts his stance. “You’ve been here for three months you might have found somebody…” He clears his throat. He’s starting to get the gravelly tone that is characteristic of alphas in rut.

                “I don’t know how I’m supposed to initiate that.” Bucky grumbles. “I’ve never done this before and I don’t know what I want.” He puts his palm on his forehead and sighs. “I’m waiting for an alpha to _act_ but I’m afraid it’s going to be too late or… awkwardly timed.” Bucky takes a deep breath. “It’s mostly the timing actually…”

                Steve listens to him intently. His thoughts almost visibly knock around inside his skull. He swallows and looks down at his feet while his puts his hand on his hips. “So… what time exactly is it you’re afraid of?”

                Bucky can’t say it. He can’t do this, he’s just so terrified of something going horribly wrong. What if he misread all of the signs? He’d be mortified. He stays quietly petrified for long enough that Steve starts talking again. “I get it. I really do. Last year I had the same thing happen to me. I had just run off the old First Alpha and I really wasn’t ready for it, so I just chose Peggy and did what came naturally… on The Breeding Stone… while everyone watched.” He blows air out of his puffed up cheeks. His eyebrows go halfway up his forehead at the memory. “It was… not a very special ‘first’. Bucky, I wouldn’t do that to somebody else. Not like that. It was one thing to be out in front of everyone but it was just so passionless… I don’t want it to be passionless for you.”

                “You wouldn’t?” Bucky asks quietly. He feels like the ground has shifted under him. _I wouldn’t do that to somebody else_. He’s not going to choose him. He was wrong.

                “You’re right, your first time should be amazing. Trust me, it’s not going to be like it was for me. Not as long as I’m First Alpha.” Steve smiles warmly. Bucky doesn’t feel warm. He’s so confused.

                “Alright.” Bucky can’t look at Steve.

                Steve’s smile inverts into a worried scowl. “What’s the matter?”

                “Nothing.” Bucky shakes his head to try and fend off tears. He turns on his feet fast before he does something stupid and dramatic. “I’m hungry,” is his only explanation as he walks away. He’s got to get away before Steve can try to get the truth out of him. He really does want some food. He should probably try to find someone to flirt with too. Maybe being wanted will sooth the hurt of this rejection. There are three hundred wolves around him tonight, he’s got to be able to find some company that isn’t Steve’s. He’s been emotionally throttled enough for one night.

                Steve is following him closely until Peggy gets his attention. “Steve, you need to go sign up for the omega you’ll be fighting for. There is a line.” Peggy tells him with a lot of stress in her voice. Steve looks from her to Bucky. Bucky doesn’t bother waiting for him, he was trying to get away anyway.

                He goes to the meat first. They have cuts of raw meat and roasted meat for him to choose from. There are a lot of wolves in line. Several alphas look over at him when they get a whiff of his scent. The one at the front of the line waves at him. “You looking for some chow?” He asks Bucky. “You can take my place, I’ll wait.” He’s a huge man, as big as Thor or Steve, with red hair and a mustache.

                Bucky almost refuses him but some bitter part of him remembers how upset Steve was over Brock just talking to him. He figures taking food that an alpha practically gives him is a lot worse than talking. Bucky smiles at the friendly alpha. “Sure.” He steps up to his side. He's uncomfortable being in this proximity to an unknown alpha but he endures it because maybe Steve is watching. He picks a raw piece of meat that looks about the right size for him.

                “Name’s Dum Dum, but if you like you can call me Timothy.” Dum Dum tells him.

                Bucky snickers. “Wow, that’s the first name I’ve heard that is actually worse than mine. I’m Bucky, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

                “Pleasure’s all mine.” He beams at him. His eyes crinkle into happy half-moons from the apples of his cheeks forced way up under them. “And trust me, you didn’t need to tell me your name. The whole pack knows who you are.” His brow forms a concerned crease in the middle. “Are you going to be okay this season?”

                “Ha! I’ll be fine.” Bucky takes a bite of his meat. “But I appreciate the concern.”

                “Dum Dum, don’t be ridiculous you’re not ranked high enough to court this bird.” Says another alpha with an accent like Peggy’s. He slides up to Bucky’s side, slick as silk. “I on the other hand, I have slightly more of not a chance at all.

                “Oh really?” Dum Dum barks, unamused. “I think you’re missing the point. I’m just here to make sure the nice omega gets some food. You’re the ugly louse that showed up and made assumptions.”

                “You mean stated facts?” The other alpha jests.

                “Bucky.” Bucky turns around, he’s immensely grateful to see Natasha. She puts an arm over his shoulders and leads Bucky away while the two alphas continue to argue. Natasha takes him a little ways away to the other side of the gathering where she, Clint, Phil, Tony, and a woman Bucky’s never seen before are gathered with Thor, Loki, and a couple of unfamiliar omegas. Bucky approaches them quickly. Steve is not far away, he can still smell him as if he was by his side.

                “Look everyone, it’s this season’s hot ticket!” Tony jokes when he sees him. “How does it feel to be desired?”

                “Tony, stop.” The woman sitting next to him tells him while stroking her fingers through his hair. Her scent is odd. Bucky would say she smells like she’s been around humans but he knows that’s impossible. She must have rolled in some weird plant or maybe a rancid mud hole. Se smells like alpha under that other scent. Whatever it is, Tony doesn’t seem to mind it. He’s all over her like an affectionate pet.

                “Okay, but I want a treat for good behavior.” Tony nuzzles her neck.

                “You’ll get a swat on the butt if you keep this up.” She sasses back.

                “Now that’s my kind of treat!” Tony bursts before kissing her neck with gusto.

                Bucky looks to Natasha for an explanation. She just shrugs, “If you’re waiting for Tony to make sense, you should give up now. Come sit, meet our friends.” Natasha points to show Bucky where to sit on a bench made out of a fallen log. Bucky carefully walks around Clint where he sits on the ground playing with his pups. Phil is helping him keep them close by snagging any that wander away. They are very happy to see Bucky.

                Natasha gestures to the woman Tony is now straddling. “This is Pepper, she’s Tony’s mate. She’s gone most of the year doing ambassador work for the pack but she’s always here for spring.”

                “Down Tony!” Pepper roars with laughter as she throws him off. He nearly misses crashing into Phil. “Oops! Sorry!”

                Nat gestures to Thor who is speaking quietly with his First Omega. “You’ve met Thor and Loki I take it?” Loki chuckles quietly over some suggestion. Thor nudges Loki, the omega holds up a hand to tell him to pause. 

                Loki fixes his piercing eyes on Bucky. “We have met.”

                Bucky feels a chill run up his spine. He finds Loki unnerving.

                “So, Bucky is it?” Thor asks, drawing all attention to him. Even the pups look at him when he talks.

                “Yeah, that’s my name.” Bucky answers. Thor smells and looks extremely viral, he wonders how many pups he has and if they are all with Loki.

                “Your First Alpha said most compelling things about you on the hunt today. I think he’s quite smitten.” Loki elbows him playfully.

                “No!” Bucky yelps. He flushes red in an instant. “He is not smitten with me! He’s not even going to fight for me in The Mating Match! He’s just a friend… that’s all.” The formerly animated gathering has gone still.

                Thor looks to Loki then back to Bucky. The First Alpha is very perplexed. “He said this to you?”

                “In a roundabout way, yeah he did.” Bucky huffs.

                “Well then…” Thor seems lost for words. “That is very odd and… contradictory of him.”

                Loki gets up off his bench and walks over to him. He gives Bucky a cursory closer inspection. “You’re only missing your arm, correct?” Loki asks as he makes-eyes lower towards Bucky’s groin region.

                “Yes!” Bucky shouts defensively.

                “Ooo!” A very busty brunette omega chimes as she jumps to her feet and hunkers down at Loki’s side in front of Bucky. The other two beautiful female omegas stand and walk over in a less jubilant but certainly more elegant fashion. One of them looks especially proud and refined. The smallest is the skinniest person Bucky has ever seen but also extremely beautiful. It would be hard to say who is the most stunning of the four omegas that are now looking him over interestedly.

                “You know, we’ve been in the market for another omega with a cock.” Loki informs him casually. “If you’d like, Thor could claim you and you could come get your cherry popped in very grand fashion. I assure you, our den is the place to choose if you’re looking for pure ecstasy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So one of the things I like to do when I'm messing around with a different universe is play with different pairings. I really passionately ship Thorki so I wouldn't break them up but this time I made additions. Yeah that's right, Thor has a damn harem. It's him, Loki, Jane, Darcy, and Sif. The omegas in this love nest are equally affectionate towards each other and Thor so it's not all about him. Loki is less attracted to the female omegas but he gets off on watching Thor with them. That and he doesn't mind joining in himself, just because he's not in love with them doesn't mean he's got a problem with having great sex with them. I have too much to say about this situation. It's just fun. Nobody is being used or neglected they know who's having fun and who is going to be together for life. It's different for one of my fics but that is why I included it. Also, I really wanted Loki to invite Bucky to an orgy... that was one of my goals for this. Not saying he will accept, but I at least wanted there to be an invite. 
> 
> I do have some bad news about my update schedule. I am sending my computer away to have the dan thing fixed after a year of it not working. This means I might not update for a week. Sad, I don't know how I'm going to go a week without writing. It's been almost a year since I tarted posting here religiously and I never go a week without writing. Ugh... I hate this already.
> 
> -The Trollop


	11. Chapter 11

                Bucky feels every  muscle in his body tighten in repulsion, not at the offer but at his feelings about it. He wouldn’t mind spending time with any of them and for some reason he feels like that’s a bad thing. Is this loyalty that’s irking him? To Steve, why should he have loyalty to Steve?! Steve practically rejected him, he has only an instinctual interest in bedding him and that’s it. He doesn’t want to love him when he’s too fat with pups to do much. Everything he saw from Steve was just the natural reaction of an alpha whose close friend happens to be going into heat. He should be able to sleep with all five of these people with a guilt-free conscience.

                Instead, he’s certain he’s now the worst person ever just for entertaining the thought. He hangs his head and shrugs with a small chagrin. “Nah, I’m sorry. I’d like to but I’m not sure the way you guys roll is for me.”

                Loki raises an eyebrow like he can’t believe Bucky just refused him. “Suit, yourself. If you change your mind before tomorrow morning, you can still come back with us. We really don’t offer sex to just anyone.”

                “You offered him what now?” Steve’s rumbly voice is glaringly loud. Bucky whips his head around to look at Steve. The normally approachable blond now looks imposing and hostile in his disbelief. The group and the surrounding feast attendees lower their volume or shut up entirely. The smell of chicken broth is back and stronger than before. Steve looks bewilderedly from Thor to Loki to Bucky. He locks eyes with Bucky after two passes back and forth. His eyes bore into the omega like a spear to his frontal lobe. The alpha’s chest rises and falls with a few frantic breaths.

                Thor stands up and puts out his hands in a placating gesture. “My friend, there has been a serious misunderstanding.”

                “You’re damn right there has been!” Steve snarls. His lip lifts to reveal one sharp canine. “I told you very clearly not to even ask him!” Steve takes three fast strides so that he’s speaking to Thor directly in his face. The two alphas argue harshly but in low, quiet tones. Bucky can’t hear what they’re saying. Steve seems to have intentionally directed them so that his back is between him and Thor.

                Steve goes still after Thor finally seems to have finished explaining himself to the infuriated alpha. His arms fall to his sides and he looks over his shoulder at Bucky.

                “Bucky?” He asks in a voice that’s more squeak than gravel. He looks oddly sorry.

                Bucky scowls at him worriedly. He doesn’t know what to say. He’s never seen Steve this beat down before. He looks heartbroken. Bucky might have intended to hurt him a little by playing the flirt, but he didn’t ever want Steve to be like this. The alpha turns completely away from Thor and approaches him instead. Bucky opens his mouth to speak but he can’t think of what to say. He didn’t accept Loki’s offer after all, how is he supposed to apologize for nothing? Why does Steve make him feel the need to apologize? Bucky startles when Steve does not stop approaching him at the appropriate distance for two friends to talk. He doesn’t stop at the distance two mates would speak either. In a flash Bucky realizes what is happening.

                Steve’s hand cups the side of his face while the other cradles the back of his head. The omega manages to get his wits together enough to lean in the one inch that Steve doesn’t pull him. Steve crushes their lips together in a stern, lingering kiss. Bucky yips in surprise for a split second. He’s never felt a pair of lips on his before and he hadn’t imagined it like this. Steve’s lips are as soft as he thought they would be but they’re also surprisingly dexterous. Steve’s mouth vibrates lightly against his as the alpha growls possessively over… him.

                 Bucky yields to the urging of Steve’s mouth and lets him tentatively add his tongue. He tastes like warm blood from the kill and slightly sweet like berries. Bucky quickly finds himself wanting that taste to stay forever. The nerves in his belly depress like a coil. He has no idea what’s going to happen when the tension gets set free. He doesn’t even know what this _want_ is but it’s intense and urgent. Steve’s tongue licks around his in a whorl. He wonders what that would feel like elsewhere and the need gets stronger.  He uncertainly rests his hand on Steve’s hips. Steve is chest to chest but their pelvises have about four inches of room between them. Steve takes notice and remedies it by jolting his hips forward into Bucky’s. That might have been a thrust, he thinks in utter wonder. Steve just thrust his groin at him with his tongue caressing Bucky’s. He can feel how hard Steve is through his pants. He’s getting more solid by the second and all they’re doing is kissing.

                 He closed his eyes, Bucky realizes. He peeks out the corner of one. People are either staring or obviously trying not to stare.  Oddly, it doesn’t bother him. There is something very rewarding about being kissed like this in the middle of the pack that Steve runs.  Bucky locks their lips tightly together with more confidence. Steve makes a horribly endearing whine in the pit of his throat.  Bucky’s lips quirk into as much of a smile as they can manage while he continues to relish the feeling of kissing Steve over and over again. Steve grinds their hips together provocatively. The omega takes a brief intermission so he can pant then retake Steve’s lips with gusto. He gets daring enough to try nipping Steve’s lower lip. Steve grunts and presses their foreheads together. Bucky’s not sure if that was pain or pleasure. Fearing is was the former, he gently licks Steve’s lip like a pup with just the tip of his tongue.

                 The hand on his cheek surges backward to grip Bucky’s hair while the one that was on the back of his head flies down to take firm hold of his ass. Bucky yelps in shock. That was just hard enough to sting and so, so what he wanted. His hips jerk uncontrollably. Steve lets out another proprietary growl that sounds especially self-satisfied.  He takes another deep inhale and halts.

                 Bucky leans forward thinking he’s supposed to continue. Steve goes back to cupping his cheek to stop him. Bucky opens his eyes just a slit so that he can look at Steve in confusion. Steve’s pupils are fully dilated and there’s a sheen of sweat on his brow. “No Buck, can’t anymore. Not when you’re wet.” The alphas in the vicinity are looking at him hungrily but none of them dare move because of Steve’s presence. Bucky has no doubt Steve could rip them up one by one but he worries what would happen to him if they jumped him at once. Steve holds Bucky to his chest and gives the other alphas a warning glare.

                 “But more of that later?” Bucky asks hopefully. He doesn’t know what Steve means by wet. He shifts a little and discovers exactly what he was talking about. He’s slicked up the whole seam of his pants. He might have even soaked through them, he can’t tell by just feel alone. He’s so warm that the wet spots feel chilly.

                 “Quick we’ve got to go before-.” Steve says as he gathers Bucky under his arm.

                 “Evening, Steve.” Sam pipes up from where he is now sitting in Bucky’s old seat. They were so distracted by each other that they missed The First Beta sneaking around them and sitting down. “That wouldn’t happen to be an omega in heat you are trying to hide away with now is it?” He asks with a particularly amused smirk.

                 “Sam, I’m just taking him back to his den.” Steve tells him in as calm a tone as possible. Bucky can smell in his scent that he’s frustrated. At least the chicken broth scent is gone, he’ll have to ask what that is when he gets the chance.

                 “Well, you know there kind of is this rule that I’m supposed to enforce. This First Alpha I know gave me very specific instructions, ‘Do not let any alphas be alone with an omega from the speeches at The Feast until The Fertility Ceremony is over.’ Since the feast has commenced, I assume that order is applicable right now. Wouldn’t you say?”

                 “Really, please let me have this. I need to talk to him. Alone.” Steve growls.

                 “I already let you have one freebie.” Sam counters. “You think I didn’t notice that little retreat behind the shack? A minute longer and I would have busted your ass. You know the rules. Participating omegas and alphas are to be kept separated unless in a group with balanced, mixed genders until the Fertility Ceremony is over. You can either talk here, or you can wait three days. Now it’s two because it’s past midnight.  Your choice.” Sam crosses his arms and waits.

                  The pair looks longingly at each other in unhappy silence. How can they be expected to separate when they’ve only just gotten started? It’s not fair. Bucky’s a day ahead of the other omegas’ heat cycle. He’s never spent a heat with them before so he hasn’t synced perfectly yet. He’s lucky his heat happened to be roughly the same time frame this spring. He needs more attention than the other omegas, or at least that is his opinion.

                  “Sam… this is kind of ridiculous.” Steve argues.

                  “You have never asked me to bend the rules because of ridiculous before. Seriously man, think for a minute and consider which organ you’re doing it with.”

                  “It’s not about that! We just need to clear up some misunderstandings and I’d rather not make it a public spectacle any more than it already is!”

                  “Can you condense this conversation into ten seconds?” Sam asks.

                  Bucky is about to answer no when Steve cuts in. “Yes! I just need to say one thing.”

                  “You have ten seconds behind that hut starting from when I can’t see you. If you do not emerge after ten seconds, I will hunt you down and tie you to The Breeding Stone for the night. You, Steve, just you.”

                  “Why did I make you First Beta?” Steve grumbles.

                  “Because I don’t take your bullshit. Do you accept my offer or not?”

                  “Yes!” Bucky yells. He desperately needs to know what the hell Steve thinks he can tell him in ten seconds that will put his mind at ease. Sam gestures for them to go together. He watches them like a bird of prey observing two mice in a field until they’re out of his vision.  Sam counts the seconds aloud so they can’t try and argue about the time.

                   Steve takes Bucky by the shoulders. He speaks in a low rumbly tone that’s just loud enough for them to hear. “Tomorrow morning at dawn I start fighting in the matches to assign the order we’re presented to you. I’m the first one on your list and I don’t plan on changing that. You’re an idiot and a jerk! I’ve been pining after you this whole time.”

                   “Why didn’t you say something?!” Bucky barks.

                   “Because I thought you’d tell me I’m head over heels for the person I knew when I was a pup, not the wolf you are now.”

                   “That’s stupid!” Bucky punches Steve in the chest. “I’ve been gone on you since the moment I first saw you, you stupid punk!”

                   Steve’s face flashes to relief. He leans in and is overjoyed to have Bucky eagerly meet his lips. Bucky shuts his eyes and thoroughly enjoys Steve’s conquest of his mouth. He could do this every day for the rest of his life. Sam is yelling at them but Bucky doesn’t care. He’s got his arm wrapped around Steve’s neck and a nose full of his alpha’s ‘jubilant’ scent. It’s the kind of scent that would accompany tail wagging were he in lupine form.

                    “Knock it off! I’m never trusting you again!” Sam hollers at them.

.oOo.

                Steve sleeps on The Breeding Stone that night because of his bad behavior. More than one of his friends laughs at him while he lies hog tied with a short leash binding him to the rock. He may look stupid, but he’s the most excited alpha in the pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who figured out her aunt's computer problem? I did. Guess who doesn't have to take that week long break like she feared? ME! Hahahahahahahahahahhahaha! I WIN! All I had to do was take up hacking! 
> 
> What's new with me:  
> My IUD makes my boobs grow a size larger on and around my period. My vagina is itchy while on my period. This is too much information but that's old news. 
> 
> I bought an inflatable unicorn horn for cats today. 
> 
> I've killed over forty fruit flies today. Not saying I hate vegans, just that vegans and fruit flies have similar diets and I don't think that's a coincidence. But really, I like vegans just fine( no I don't). I just couldn't resist making that joke(lies! She's a bigoted monster that hates vegans!)
> 
> -The Trollop


	12. Chapter 12

                Bucky came home to his den to find it in use. Tony is not in The Mating Match so it’s apparently alright to have all the sex he wants as loudly as he wants. Not wanting to be in the middle of that, Bucky decided to sneak into the one den in the pack he knew was currently vacant. He did not anticipate how strong the smell of Steve would be in his den or what that now does to him.

                Bucky hunkers down in the bedding and takes a nice deep whiff of the alpha’s unique smell. Steve’s bed is a hole filled with blankets about six feet in diameter and two feet deep. This is a very good nest, Bucky thinks. He already doesn’t know how he’s going to sleep elsewhere again. He shifts into his lupine form and rolls onto his back. He tucks his paws up and stretches out. Yes, this is a good sized bed, he and Steve could curl up there together with plenty of room for pups.  His tail wags lazily back and forth as he pictures it. Steve’s scent is really getting to his head. He’d have Steve cuddled up to his back with five or six pups snuggled up against his belly. Soft little rollie pollies with their little wet, warm muzzles, maybe a few will be Steve’s colors.  His dark brown is more common but they could have a light one or two. Bucky’s nose is black and Steve’s is a dark brown but maybe a pup could have a pink nose. It’s not the most intimidating feature for a grown wolf, but it is the sweetest thing on a baby.

                He’s completely lost it. He’s got puppy fever. He’s had it before but he’s never had an alpha he was interested in. It’s much worse now that he can picture a mash up of their features. He and Steve would make handsome pups.  He goes to sleep envisioning their hypothetical children and loathing himself for it. He swears it’s just the puppy fever, this is not his actual personality. Probably.

.oOo.

                In the morning, Bucky wakes up to the first of many, many heat cramps.

                “Ugh!” Bucky groans as he rolls onto his stomach. He shifted back to human form in the night. Most wolves can’t shift in their sleep but he does it fairly frequently. He’s glad he did it last night, he’s slicked up between his cheeks and behind his balls. So it begins, he thinks. He takes a deep breath of Steve’s scent.

                Two more days of rituals and no alone time, great. He’ll be in full blown heat by tomorrow for sure. Luckily the final ceremony starts at midnight so he won’t have to wait at all on the day of. He just has to make it through one more night. Then there is that other thing… The Breeding Stone.  If he does choose Steve that means he’s getting fucked on that thing in less than thirty six hours. His brow furrows as he remembers yesterday’s first private conversation behind a hut with Steve. What did that conversation actually mean then? He thought he meant Steve wasn’t going to choose him. If he didn’t, then what? He want’s Bucky’s first to be special, how does he accomplish that while still upholding this weird tradition? Bucky will probably be alright with this. He didn’t think he could do it before last night’s kiss. There must be something wrong with him, he _liked_ the way it felt to be observed by the pack. Will he get the feeling when they’re observing something a lot more intimate? He doesn’t know. He’s got a lot of questions that can only be answered by time and Steve. Bucky sighs then takes a deep breath of the den air.

                Steve’s alpha scent has permeated his senses completely. He feels a warm buzz to his skin which is now damp from sweat. He’s actually feverish now and slightly delusional. When he hears footsteps in the entrance to the den he initially assumes it’s a hallucination. He lazily looks to the tunnel opening anyway. The owner of the den stands there in lupine form frozen to the spot. Bucky blinks at him slowly a few times then smiles.

                “You are a really pretty wolf Stevie.” He tells Steve in a fuzzy voice. He rolls onto his stomach and pushes his bottom into the air for no particular reason. He’s not sure why he does it. He’s always had the strange urge to do this when he’s in heat. The open air on his dripping hole feels refreshing. He moans with his mouth and nose pressed into the bedding. He still gazes over the folds of fabric at the transfixed alpha.

                Steve’s eyes bug out as he makes a noise like someone has stabbed him. He initially lunges forward then reels backward so hard he falls on his backside. He scrambles over himself to run out of the den for some reason. Huh. This hallucination is a lot less sexy than he was hoping for.

.oOo.

                “Bucky?” Tony’s voice rouses him from his sleep. Shortly after Hallucination Steve left, he drifted off again. He picks his head up and looks at the other omega.

                “What are you doing in Steve’s den?” Bucky growls threateningly.

                “Hey, woah! That is not why I’m here. I’m just the one they sent to come bring you back to our den. Sorry for last night, I was a little too excited to be considerate.” 

                “It’s okay.” Bucky rests his cheek on the blankets. “I understand.” He can’t fathom being away from Steve as long as Tony must be away from Pepper. Bucky hasn’t even been with Steve yet and he already feels the need to be with him whenever he can be.

                “So… going home now?” Tony asks, raising his eyebrows and gesturing to the tunnel that leads out of the den.

                “Why can’t I stay here?” Bucky pouts. He’s not hurting anybody and Steve’s scent is fantastic.

                “Well…” Tony scratches his cheek. “Like permanently?”

                “Whatever.” Bucky snuggles into the bedding. He wraps a sheet around himself but finds that makes him too hot. He takes it off and settles for only covering one leg.

                “Let me go ask.” Tony sighs and leaves the den for a moment. He comes back quickly. “Steve wants to know if you want me to go get your stuff? He says you can stay forever if you like.” Tony thinks about what he just said. “Hey! Why am I the moving man?”

                “JUST DO IT!” Steve yells very loudly from outside the den. That rouses Bucky’s interest, he didn’t put together that he’s right _there._

                “Steve?!” Bucky picks his head up, now semi alert for someone this deep into preheat. He didn’t realize he’s so near because of his concentrated scent inside the den.

                “Steve you idiot! He knows you’re there! Go run! Be free!”  Tony tries to bar the tunnel with his arms. Bucky shifts into his lupine form effortlessly. Loud grunting and sounds of a struggle comes from outside.  Bucky ducks under Tony’s arm and easily avoids him. Tony tries to grab him and Bucky bares his teeth menacingly. Tony backs off, not wanting to have his throat ripped out this early in mating season. Bucky limps out of the den and looks around.

                Sam and Clint are wrestling Steve down. They’ve all turned into wolves now. Sam and Clint are having a very difficult time restraining Steve. Bucky doesn’t like that they’re touching him, he doesn’t like it one bit. He growls and goes as fast as he can to assist Steve.

                Once Steve actually sees Bucky, the fight is over. He throws off Sam easily and head-butts Clint off his feet. He runs to Bucky even as the other wolves chase after him to intercede. Bucky wags his tail in excitement. Steve greets him by rubbing their cheeks together affectionately. He does it on both sides before ‘booping’ their noses together happily. Bucky makes the wolf equivalent of a chuckle before nuzzling his head under Steve’s chin.

                Sam and Clint shift over to human form while the new couple flirts. Sam is the first one to shift over completely. “Okay, so that wasn’t quite as bad as I was picturing.” Sam sighs. Steve sniffs at Bucky interestedly. "Hey now, behave..." Sam warns. Bucky lifts up his tail and walks so that their bodies are side by side. Bucky doesn’t know why he’s doing this. "No, stop it!" It’s like his whole body is on auto pilot when he’s around his chosen alpha. Steve doesn’t hesitate to stick his nose down under Bucky’s tail and sniff him.That does shock Bucky. He knows it’s something that dogs and wolves do to each other fairly frequently but he’s never seen another one of his kind do it. He certainly didn’t expect this. He stumbles away and accidentally trips from the way he frantically jerks. Bucky yelps, Steve barks in horror. The alpha lays down by Bucky’s back and tries to nudge him back onto his feet. 

                "PEGGY!" Sam and Clint yell together. 

                 Peggy comes stomping to the rescue with a few young omegas flanking her. She points at Bucky. “You, are coming with me before you cause any more trouble! You clearly need to be educated better about … EVERYTHING!” She bellows. “And you!” She points to Steve in an even more accusatory fashion. Steve hides his head under Bucky. “I’d have you retied if you didn’t have matches until dusk! You need to report to the amphitheater this instant or else you’re really going to get it! Honestly Steve, I thought I taught you better.”

                 Steve whimpers while he hides under Bucky. Bucky looks from Steve to Peggy, he certainly doesn’t have a problem with Steve’s behavior.  Peggy puts her hands on her hips and begins addressing Bucky again. “Come on, shift back and let’s go. I’ve only got the rest of the afternoon to tell you everything you should have learned when you were these one’s age.” She gestures towards the preteens that are following her like ducklings.

                 Steve sets his head on Bucky’s shoulder and gives him one last nuzzle before he gets back up and shifts. Bucky does the same without getting up. He’s still faster at it than Steve. He stands up and gives Peggy an awkward smile. She turns and gestures for him to follow with two fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehe. Stupids. Oh Bucky, you poor pure soul. Time for some sex ed vis Peggy Carter. One more chapter before the rating gets earned in grand fashion. *Snickers mischievously* 
> 
> Life update: I am a dumb ass. I've been really tired at work for the past couple of days and unable to figure out why.So today I'm looking at my medicine bottles and discover that the meds I had been taking as part of my regular 'make me functional' cocktail contains the wrong damn one. Instead of the stuff that makes me not feel like a zombie I was taking my fucking sleep aid. They look exactly the same in pill form, so this really wasn't hard to do. I'm still a moron though. I'm glad I didn't really fuck myself up. Good damn thing I don't drive, or take a bath, or preform an emergency tracheotomy! So you know, I have been trained to do a tracheotomy. I'm going to write a story where someone is given one eventually. I can also re inflate a collapsed lung!
> 
> Yo, check out this comment I got last chapter over my fly slaughtering activities:  
> “I really like you (no i dont) but fuck you animal killer! you deserve a very painful death scumbag” - teddybear
> 
> Isn't that hilarious? Like really? Really? Flies... wow. I have never heard someone so upset over the death of flies. I'm just going to go ahead and assume I'm being trolled because nobody actually feels THAT strongly about killing insects. Notice how there has never been an insect on the endangered species list? It's because they are by far winning. People worry that China is going to rule the world( xenophobic, egocentric Americans) I worry about the damn bugs. I've raised my kill count to about a hundred and fifty flies at this point. I'm not stopping until I can move the dishes in my sink and not have to worry about flies in my face. 
> 
> -Fly Murdering Scum


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note on anatomy: Omega males have a cloaca instead of a rectum in this universe. I cloaca is an organ found mostly in birds and reptiles which acts kind of like our anus except it also expels urine and offspring. In this case omegas have a urethra as well so the cloaca does not serve that function. The means that the uterus and the colon meet to feed into the cloaca. There is an internal sphincter between the colon and the cloaca and obviously there is the cervix between the uterus and the cloaca. It's also important to note that the mucous inside the cloaca has a high ph to kill bacteria and keep the uterus from becoming infected.

               Steve hugs Bucky goodbye for long enough that Sam taps him on the shoulder. Steve gives him an angry growl before reluctantly letting go. Bucky is also unhappy about the loss of contact. As Peggy leads him away, Steve tries to follow but Sam grabs his bicep. Bucky looks over his shoulder at the rumbling alpha.

               “Hey Steve, you gotta go earn your spot remember? I’d hate to have you presented second. I don’t know how I’m gonna turn down the other guy.” He calls back to him. Steve instantly beams at those words. Until now Bucky hasn’t actually confirmed that he’s going to choose Steve. His chosen alpha heads off purposefully to go maul somebody for the right to publically fuck him, Bucky grins from ear to ear with a foggy look in his eye. He feels more slick drip down his thigh as he walks.

               “Oh Darling…” Peggy bends down. She’s using a maternal tone with him now. “I didn’t realize you’re a day ahead.” She sighs as she takes tissues out of her pocket and begins cleaning him up.  

                “Is that going to happen to us?” One of the boy omegas asks in disgust.

                Bucky glares at the kid. Peggy finishes mothering and looks at the asker in annoyance. “Yes it will, I advise you to get acquainted with the idea. It happens to all omegas in heat and there is nothing we can do about it. Come along now.” Peggy stands up and gestures for them to go to the hut where her ‘office’ is located. The group of eight preteens and Bucky file in and take a seat on the benches that line the walls. Bucky feels weird sitting in a room with children on either side of him. Peggy takes an old book off the shelf. The cover is worn and ancient looking but the pages have been laminated to keep them preserved for many years to come. She flips through it until she finds the proper page. She sets it down on the table. She points to it.

                “Now. All of you come up to the table and look at this.” She smiles at the kids. “And don’t laugh.”

                The children crowd up to the table before Bucky. Bucky is about a half a foot taller than the tallest of the preteens which makes this situation all the more awkward. Bucky looks over the children’s heads as directed. He can see the cause for embarrassed laughter. On the page is a diagram of female and male omega reproductive systems. It’s extremely detailed.

                “Now, first off, you’ll notice that men look identical to betas and alphas externally. Don’t be fooled, some of your childhood playmates who claim to be certain of their designation could be easily mistaken. You are the ones we are certain are omegas because you’ve all developed the first signs. Let’s not be coy, boy’s you’ve slicked up in your sleep or when you’ve noticed a particularly nice looking potential mate. Girls, you’ve developed an omega menstrual cycle and probably produced more lubrication from your vagina than a beta would.” Some snickers occur following the word vagina. Peggy purses her lips. “I understand this is uncomfortable for you, but you’ll need to know this in the coming years because it will be an integral part of your life for as long as you are fertile. Take Bucky for example.” She and the children look at him. “He’s here because he didn’t learn these things when he was your age. It’s unfortunate that  he’s only learning it now because I’m sure he’s been having a lot of confusing reactions to alphas lately.”

                Bucky doesn’t move or make a sound. The strange butt lifting, his new found desire to show off his asshole, his vivid dreams about puppies are as bewildering as they have been… satisfying.

                “I think that answers that.” Peggy rolls her eyes. She flips the pages in the book to some lovely illustrations of wolves playing together. One picture is of two wolves rubbing their cheeks together with followers framing their heads. “Here is the basics; Every springtime we go into estrus which is referred to by most as ‘heat’. It’s the one time of year omegas can conceive offspring. During that time we experience a variety of different symptoms to let potential mates know that we’re fertile. First we begin heavily flirting, sometimes without being aware of it, with a chosen alpha. That means rough housing in our lupine form, developing pet names, daily rituals which revolve around seeking an alphas attention, and sometimes scenting. The latter is mostly an alpha trait but omegas do it too.”

                Bucky feels like a fucking idiot as he stands there and listens to Peggy talk. He has been doing every last one of those things with Steve for months. How did he miss all this? Is this why everybody was joking? Because he’s been rampantly flirting this whole time and not even known it?!

                “Next the physiological symptoms start to happen.” Peggy flips to the next page.  It shows anatomical depictions of where the scent glands are located. The bonding glands are also drawn in inside the vagina of one figure and the cloaca of the other. Slick is leaking out onto the thighs of the male. “These don’t start until about a week before heat officially begins. The first is the extreme amplification of scent. You won’t notice it as much as everyone else around you will. You have to be very careful when you’re young and haven’t mated yet because it’s particularly alluring at that age.” She glances at Bucky again. Bucky thinks she might pity him. That’s annoying. “The next symptom is the production of excess anal and vaginal lubrication.” That gets more titters from the preteens. Bucky has grown to accept this part at least. “It happens when aroused and once in heat, near constantly.” She chuckles. “Probably because you’re always aroused.”

                “On the very cusp  of heat, we start to exhibit behavior that tells an alpha we’re ready to mate . It’s generally called ‘presenting’ and it’s very simple, we stick our bottoms in the air and make eye contact with a chosen alpha.” Shit. Peggy turns to a page covered with beautiful illustrations of wolves lifting their behinds and  others lifting their tails while another wolf sniffs. “It’s basically an invitation to mount, I think you all know what mounting is.” SHIT! Bucky just did that! No wonder Hallucination Steve acted so funny! Wait a second, why would a hallucination act weird… oh fuck. That was real Steve. “Another particularly provocative act we use to entice, is to allow an alpha to smell our sex organs by lifting our tails. When we’re in this stage of preheat it’s very obvious by scent alone that we’re offering ourselves which is why we must be careful to use these instincts only when appropriate. ‘Smell me’ is a particularly effective method of getting an alpha to lose their mind. Only alphas with an immense amount of self-control hold back from mounting an omega after they’ve offered themselves like this.” Steve resisted him twice today. Bucky’s not sure if he’s supposed to be proud or irritated. He strongly feels the latter but mostly at all of the people who have been interfering.

               “Next up is the obvious.” Peggy turns to a page which is actually a thin, carved piece of wood. It appears to be the oldest part of the book. On it, under a full moon surrounded by flowering trees, are two wolves on top of what can only be The Breeding Stone. The alpha has mounted the omega and the pair is now nuzzling. Bucky stares at this picture with a sense of awe and horror. This is what he’s meant to do with Steve in a day’s time. Steve is going to take him just like that, on the same rock so elegantly carved to be shown to young omegas. This isn’t right. He doesn’t want to be mounted from behind like that. He wants to see Steve’s face when he takes him for the first time. He’d like to be able to taste his mouth and revel in how beautiful he is. He wants to know what he looks like when he’s locked inside him. Steve said it would be special. This doesn’t seem special to him. This is mechanical, out of a sense of duty to their ancient heritage. Sure it’s an honor to be a part of something so much bigger than him and Steve but what about _just him and Steve._  

               “I have a question.” Bucky interjects.

               “Go ahead.” Peggy tells him. The preteens watch Bucky interestedly.

               “Why can’t we mate before The Fertility Ceremony?” Bucky asks with a sour look on his face.

               Peggy laughs at how put-out he looks. “We have very good reasons I assure you!” Peggy continues to snicker. “First off, you haven’t had your yearly exam yet to make sure you’re healthy and capable of whelping. Second, we have a five hundred year tradition of the First Alpha and Omega abstaining from the time of The Feast to the Fertility Ceremony. That way any pups The First Omega bears will be conceived after the ceremony and therefore blessed by it. It’s important for the whole pack’s morale and for preserving our heritage.”

               Bucky takes a deep breath. “So it’s just me and Steve?” Bucky asks, he’s about to burst with frustration any second now.

               “We prefer the whole pack abstains, but yes, especially you two.” She raises an eyebrow. “May I continue? I have a few more important things to say to everyone before I have a word with you alone.”

               “Fine.” Bucky huffs.

               “Good. Our mating season officially begins when The First Pair mates on The Breeding Stone at the end of The Fertility Ceremony. Afterwards everyone goes back to their dens with their partner and does whatever comes naturally. It’s important that you know that just because you have allowed an alpha to take you, does not mean you have the whelp their litter. We have a special medicine we put in tea that you can drink in the morning that will keep you from getting pregnant. In the morning after each day of mating season, a beta will come to your den and offer your alpha tea.  You’ll probably be much too tired to make it yourself but your alpha will be more than happy to cater to you. One of their most powerful instincts of all is to protect their omega mate. It’s never stronger than during the first weeks of the season. The height of mating season only lasts about two weeks. After that the heat will have passed for everyone and all of the omegas will slowly return to normal in roughly reverse of how they ramped up to heat. In a month, life will be much as it is the rest of the year. Hopefully, some couples will have chosen to conceive and in winter, they’ll have new pups.”

               Bucky makes a soft, involuntary, whiny noise. The preteens eye him uneasily. Bucky scowls at them. It’s not his fault he wants pups, Peggy said so. Peggy flips the pages to a newer but equally lovely drawing of newborn puppies with an omega mother in lupine form nursing a litter in the background. Bucky looks a little closer to inspect what the mother’s doing. They seem to just be lying there. That’s not so bad, he could do that.  Especially for the cute little thing in the bottom of the page.

              “We can cover this later. None of you young ones need to be concerned with whelping for a few more years. Clear out now, I need to talk to Bucky.”

              The kids vanish in a rush. Bucky isn’t surprised, he doesn’t remember what it was like to be that age but he’s sure that couldn’t have been easy for them. As soon as they’ve all gone, which is almost instantly, Peggy shakes her head at Bucky companionably. She visibly decompresses from her matronly, authoritative state to just Peggy. She sits down with a plop on a chair with a nice cushion. She takes off her jacket so that she’s resting naked like Bucky is.

              “Uh, I hate doing that. I’m so glad I’m finally done with it.” Peggy scratches her head.

               Bucky sits down too. “What do you mean?”

               The door opens. A frumpy, unfamiliar looking man wearing glasses peeks inside at them both. Bucky immediately goes on high alert. His kind does not wear glasses, they all have vision far superior to a human’s. This man does not smell right. It’s definitely a wolf’s scent but there is something alien about it. He’s never smelled this before and he immediately distrusts it.

               “Who are you?” Bucky demands of the stranger.

               Peggy cuts in before who knows what happens. “Bruce, this is Bucky. Bucky this is our doctor. He’s here to give you your exam.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA! FAKE OUT! next chapter will not be mad intercourse on a slab... that will be the following chapter. I realized I had the opportunity to write about something that's been in my notes for awhile now. By 'notes' I mean 'Ovary Grope' is written at the end of my word document and now I finally get to elaborate on that.


	14. Chapter 14

                “No.” Bucky tells them both firmly. “He smells wrong. I don’t want him to touch me.”

                Bruce rubs the back of his neck and squints. “Wow, that’s a pretty quick judgment don’t you think? You don’t even know me.”

                “I don’t know your scent. That’s enough. What’s wrong with you?” Bucky asks fretfully. He doesn’t like him, not one bit, he wants to flee as soon as possible.

                “Ha!” Bruce clucks. “Nothing actually, I’m just not from around here.” That’s a half lie if Bucky’s ever heard one.

                “You don’t smell lupine, you smell like… like an imitation.” He smells artificial. That’s what’s bothering Bucky. It’s definitely the scent of a wolf but it smells chemical instead of innate.

                “Really?” Bruce pauses. He stares at Bucky more intently than he did just a moment ago. Bucky growls low in his chest. “I’ve been working with this pack for ten years and I’ve never had anyone tell me that before.” Bruce shifts his stance and crosses his arms. “How long did the humans have you?” Bucky gives Peggy an accusatory glare. “She didn’t tell me, you just gave it away when you noticed. No one else can tell the difference between me and the rest of your kind.”

                “So you’re not one of us?” Bucky bristles.

                “If you were to analyze my DNA you’d find that I am genetically one of you, a Lupus Sapien. But, and this is a pretty big but…” He chuckles. “I wasn’t always.”

                Bucky pales. _This thing_ is just like _it_. They’re both experiments that somehow got free from that place. Why would the humans do that to one of their own kind? He supposes it makes sense in a way, it must have been hard to find test subjects of his species so they used their own. That’s absolutely sick.

                “But… why are you here?” Bucky asks uncertainly. If he was once a human why doesn’t he stay with his own fucking kind?

                “Because I can do a lot of good here.” Bruce explains proudly. “I have a medical degree and a veterinary degree so I travel between packs to make sure everybody is healthy. Sometimes people get sick and your medicine isn’t enough. A lot of the medicine humans have developed in the past hundred years works on your kind too. I’m here because I save lives, Bucky. A human doctor would never be allowed near a pack so it’s my job to take care of everyone. Please let me help you.”

                There is another possibility. What if _this thing_ did not escape like he did? What if he was released so that he could recapture the monkey’s prized monster? “No!” Bucky barks.

                “Bucky please, this is important.” Peggy tells him.

                “No!” Bucky scrambles up and nearly tramples Bruce as he runs out the door. He doesn’t want to go back! He doesn’t want anything from that old life to touch him! It’s over! It’s over! It’s over! He has Steve, Steve will protect him. He’ll tell _that thing_ to leave him alone. He’s afraid, he’s so afraid.

                “Steve!” Bucky cries as he runs to the amphitheater. He needs his alpha and he doesn’t care what anyone says about shitty traditions.

                 Steve just finished up a match. The other guy is being dragged away by his buddies, normally Steve would be a lot more courteous but not for these stakes. Steve spins when he hears his omega crying for him. “Buck?” Bucky hugs him under his armpit with his single arm and tucks his head under Steve’s chin so that he’s as buried in his scent as he can be. He whimpers between frightened hyperventilating.

                 Bruce and Peggy walk quickly after Bucky. Steve bares his teeth and snarls at them. “What did you do to him!?” He demands in an outraged roar.

                 “Not a thing. He smelled that I’m different and lost it.” Bruce explains.

                 Steve’s expression softens slightly. He looks down at the shaking omega holding onto him for dear life.

                 “Bucky, Bruce is a good man. He’s been helping our pack for eleven years. He’s very trust worthy.”

                 “But HUMANS!” Bucky screeches.

                 “I know.” Steve pets his head. He’s damp from his preheat fever, Steve doesn’t mind. “I know Sweetheart, but Bucky he just wants to make sure you’re healthy. He did my exam a week ago, right Bruce?”

                 “Yup, eight days ago exactly.” Bruce answers. He gestures to Steve’s physique. “He’s very… robust.”

                 “Why? Why do I have to?” Bucky whines into Steve’s chest.

                 “To make sure you’re healthy in case you want to whelp.” Steve tells him soothingly.

                 That motive slows Bucky’s panicked brain to a crawl. He would not do this just for himself. He’s not certain how healthy he actually is but it can’t be that bad if he feels alright. But there is one thing he does sincerely care that he’s healthy enough for. If _this thing_ can tell him if he’s capable of getting pregnant and having healthy pups, it would be worth an exam. Steve does trust him. He just said so. “How exactly would you tell?” Bucky peeks over his shoulder back at Bruce for explanation.

                “ I check you to make sure you’re cervix is healthy, your ovaries are symmetrical, you don’t have any venereal diseases, you don’t have lumps in your breast tissue, and I run some blood work to make sure you aren’t diabetic or anything else we’d need to be aware of if you get pregnant.”

                Bucky has had so many pints of blood drawn from him over the years that the thought alone makes him sick. On the other hand, he’s never had any of those other things done and they all sound important. He’s got no idea what a ‘cervix’ or an ’ovary’ is, but it sounds like those are omega parts that have to do with whelping. Breast tissue is important for nursing his pups, so it makes sense to check that out too.

                “You don’t need to test for diseases. I’ve never been touched, not even by a human.” Bucky tells the doctor. Steve rumbles at the notion that someone would hurt Bucky like that. Bucky pecks him on the corner of his jaw. “I ate a guy’s dick once and they never bothered me again.” The rumbling turns to relieved chuckles and all is well. Steve strokes his back and stretches his neck away so he can look at Bucky while keeping him tucked close.

                “Really?”

                “Yeah.” Bucky smirks smugly. He’s happy he’s pleased his alpha.

                Steve cups his cheek and strokes along his zygomatic arch with his thumb. “Can we do the rest of them though? I really think we should know. Not just for if you want… but I mean, for you too.”

                Bucky frowns and pushes Steve’s chest just a little. “Hey punk! Why didn’t you do this when I first got here or something?”

                “Um…” Steve blushes. Bucky senses the answer to his question might be slightly more than he wanted to know.

                “Because your asshole has to be relaxed to get the speculum into place and it’s easier when you’re almost in heat.” Bruce answers.

                Bucky looks from Steve to Bruce. “Something’s going up my ass?” Bucky asks concernedly.

                “Yes…” Bruce cringes.

                Bucky glances at Steve. “Can Steve come with me and hold my hand?”

                “For Bruce’s sake-.” Peggy begins.

                “Of course.” Steve interjects.

                “I don’t think-.” Bruce tries to argue.

                “Pry him from my cold dead embrace then, because I am not letting you do anything of the sort without me there for him!” Steve orders at nearly a yelling volume. His intensity and the group of injured alphas he’s just beaten strongly suggests not to challenge him.

                “Okay then.” Bruce holds up his hands in surrender.

.oOo.

                Bucky has been instructed to bend over a table with his legs spread. Steve is sitting in a chair at one end while Bruce readies his tools on the other. Steve holds Bucky’s hand with both of his and keeps their foreheads pressed together.  Bruce has used some kind of local anesthetic on him but no other drugs.

                “I’m not going to lie, this won’t be very comfortable.” Bruce tells them both.

                “You have no idea what I’ve learned how to tolerate.” Bucky rasps under his breath. “Just do it.” He tells him more audibly.

                “Okay. Just relax and breathe, this is going to be cold.” The doctor tells him.

                Bucky cringes as the tip of the speculum gets pushed into him. Bruce is gentle but it’s still uncomfortable. Bucky’s heat has loosened his cloacal muscles, the tool slides in much easier than it would have otherwise. “Just a little more discomfort now.” Bruce turns a dial on the device which causes it to gradually open so that Bruce can see into him. Bucky yelps at the pinch and squeezes Steve’s hand harder. The hard plastic thing is painful and invasive but having Steve this close isn’t so bad. Steve is more aggravated than he is.

                “Bruce would you hurry up?!” Steve snaps. “You’re hurting him! Try to be gentler!” He urges. Steve’s leg shakes nervously. His alpha scent has turned saltier and more pungent than before.

                “Steve, I am being as gentle as I can be.” Bruce takes a flashlight and looks inside him. “Cervix looks great. “Perfectly healthy.”

                “Can you take that out of him now?!” Steve asks as more of a demand than a question. Bucky nudges him.

                “What? Mad the spatula gets to stretch my ass out and you don’t?” He winces but grins as he torments Steve. Steve opens his mouth to try and retort a couple of times but his come-backs all suck.

                “Yes maybe a little, but I’m mostly just worried about you.” Steve kisses Bucky’s knuckles. Their brows rest together, Bucky’s chin is propped up by the side of Steve’s hand.

                “It’s called a…” Bruce takes another look at them together and decides it’s not important to them in the slightest. “Never mind.  One more thing…” Bruce takes a stick with some cotton on the end and inserts it into the tool up Bucky’s ass. The omega feels a strange pressure deep inside him that makes him tense up.

                “What is that? Why are you doing that?” Steve barks.

                “Taking cervical cells to make sure he doesn’t have cancer.” Bruce mumbles as he puts the swab into a vile and screws on the lid.

                “Cancer?!” Steve yelps. “I thought you said his cervix looks perfect!?”

                “I’m being thorough anyway.” Bruce explains as he collapses the speculum and pulls it out of Bucky. The omega wiggles a bit in joy as soon as he’s free. Of course the wiggling does something entirely different to Steve. Steve takes a deep gulp of air and then tries to hold his breath while he shakes his head.

                “What is he doing?” Bucky asks as he watches him.

               “He’s trying to ignore your scent.” He holds up the speculum that’s now covered in Bucky’s most intimate of bodily fluids. “This thing just became like candy to him.” Bucky leans a little closer and sniffs it. He makes a confused face.

               “Smells like horny me?”

               “You are candy to him.” Bruce tosses the used medical tool into the waste bin and puts on a new pair of gloves.  “Would you lay down on your back for me so I can feel your stomach? I’m going to put my hand on your side and push down, is that okay?” Bruce asks.

               Bucky nods and stretches out like Bruce requested. Steve has stopped bothering to fight his impulses. He hugs Bucky around the chest from behind and squishes his face against his chosen omega’s neck. He went from scent denial to total saturation in less than ten seconds. He wafts up Bucky’s unique fragrance by the lungful. His soft groans of approval only reverberate through his chest. Bucky can feel them as he watches Bruce press around his stomach until he finds whatever he’s looking for. The doctor presses his side inward and his fingers down, depressing Bucky’s toned lower abdominal muscles. He concentrates and feels as he warps Bucky’s organs in this odd way. Once he’s done with that side he switches to the other.

                “Good. Symmetrical and normal sized.” He taps Steve’s arm. “Can you move, please?” Steve growls and sits so half of his butt is on the table where he can use his lap to cushion Bucky’s head. He keeps his hands on the omega’s shoulders as he watches Bruce suspiciously.  It’s a very good thing Steve was wearing pants when Bucky found him in between matches, otherwise he’d be occupying this time doing something a lot more lascivious than nibbling at the laces on Steve’s trousers. Steve can only be distracted from observing Bruce by his chosen omega’s mouth. They share very meaningful gazes as Bucky kisses Steve’s skin just above the fabric of Steve’s clothing. They are so distracted that Bruce manages to get through the quick check for lumps without the alpha taking offense to it.

                “Guys, remember this isn’t about that. Steve, would you please sit down so he can’t do that?” Bruce requests.

                “He can do whatever he likes!” Steve rumbles.

                “Peggy, Sam? You got reinforcements for me?” Bruce calls to the people waiting outside.

                “We gottcha Bruce. He gives you trouble, just say the word.” Sam tells the doctor. Bruce smiles at Steve patiently then addresses Bucky.  

                “Let me draw some blood so we can get out of here. Steve, if you would?”

                Steve holds Bucky’s head as he gets off the table and crouches down. The alpha accidentally looks at Bucky as Bucky is shifting up towards him. Bucky’s lips press against the corner of his mouth. Instinct wins out in a flash. Steve pulls Bucky off the table with him onto the ground. Neither of them mind the awkward way they landed or the chair they just broke. Steve keeps kissing between moaning sweet nothing’s too personal and muffled to be deciphered. Bucky humps one of Steve’s ridiculous thighs. He’s smears the fabric beneath him with slick as he jerks desperately.

                “HELP!” Bruce yells.

.oOo.

                It takes five muscular, male betas to pry them apart that time. The only reason there was no actual copulation was because the enamored pair agreed that was not the time or place for such things. Still, they managed to get close enough that Bucky managed to get out of having blood taken. By the time they were foiled, Bruce told them to avoid him at all costs for at least twenty four hours, Doctor’s orders. He has other, less obnoxious  patients that actually want his attention. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to write another version of 'The Ovary Grope' in a different series but I wanted to include this here. I have lots to say but I don't think I can say it right now... damn. 
> 
> I feel bad that I don't interact with everybody in my comments, I swear it's not because I love any of you less than others, it's because I don't know what to say or I'm exhausted when I read it( This one more than the former). To improve Trollop to Reader Relations, I wanna play Two Truths and a Lie! Here's how it goes. I will tell you two truths and a lie about myself and you will guess which is the lie. You can include your own in your comment if you like, and I will guess yours too!
> 
> Here we go:
> 
> 1\. My mom says I have eaten at least three slugs in my lifetime. I was a bub, we had a garden, they were salted!!! 
> 
> 2\. Chris Pratt and I come from the same home town. We've had some of the same teachers in school. 
> 
> 3\. I've been in 3 three-ways, and 1 four-way. Technically the later was 'group sex' because the guys didn't touch each other, but that's splitting hairs. 
> 
> -Really interested to see what you guys think


	15. Chapter 15

                 After the sudden outbreak of intimacy between them, Bucky and Steve are banished to separate dens. Steve’s matches are moved to the following day and Bucky isn’t allowed to leave for anything less than a bathroom break. He pouts but complies.

                 At ten o’clock at night, Bucky starts to feel different. It starts as a disturbing throbbing in his gut. His fever intensifies after a few minutes.  His sense of smell gets ten times stronger. Even from the inside of his den, he can smell Steve. The cramps don’t set in for half an hour but when they do they’re the worst he’s ever felt. The onslaught of pain only increases until it’s too much.

                 At eleven at night, the whole pack gets woken up by an agonized scream. Steve is the first one to burst out of his den towards the noise. Even if it wasn’t Bucky, he’d still be expected to be the first to check it out. The betas standing sentry outside Bucky’s den look into the entrance concernedly. They’ve never heard an omega in that much pain before. Omegas are miserable during heat normally but it’s just a severe irritation. This is not that. Steve tries to shoulder the bewildered guards aside.

                 “I’m sorry Steve, we can’t let you in there!” One of them yells as he’s forced to grapple with the toughest alpha in the pack. They have orders from Sam to keep him out even if the alpha and omega beg to be reunited. These two are not going to ruin five hundred years of tradition just because they’re star-crossed lovers. Even as the sentries fight, they deeply suspect Steve is right to worry. One beta has him around the waist, Steve’s going to have to drag him or wait for Sam to give the orders.

                 “He’s in pain!” Steve yells back at them. “This isn’t right! He needs help!” Bucky’s pained sobs fuel Steve to fight harder.

                 Inside the den, Bucky grips his stomach while curled tightly in the fetal position. Slick drips out of him in bursts as his muscles contract more than they are meant to. The stabbing pain intensifies in waves. It burns. In his delirium the pain is almost all that he feels. The only other thing he’s aware of is Steve’s scent.

                 “It’s not supposed to be like this! Somebody get in there!” Steve pleads.  Sam is the next to bolt to the scene.

                 What’s going on!?” He quarries urgently. Bucky answers that when he gasps for breath and screams again.

                 Peggy is the next to join them with Bruce at her side. Steve sees the doctor and throws the two betas that were restraining him to the side so Bruce can get by. He has to fall with them to do it but he’s too caught up in the urgency of the situation to care. Bruce nods to Steve and darts inside.

                 Bucky can’t breathe. Every time he moves it hurts worse. All it takes is one look at Bucky for Bruce to confirm his fears.

                 “Bucky, can you hear me?” Bruce asks calmly.

                 “Neeeeeeeehhhha!” Bucky screams again. Bruce takes his temperature. He’s not too hot which is a good sign, it’s likely that he’s aware that Bruce is there at least.

                 “Okay, everything is going to be alright. I need to give you a muscle relaxant and a sedative. Is it alright if I do that?” Bruce asks fearing Bucky’s response already. He knows Bucky’s medical history must be a nightmare if he was captured by the group he thinks he was captured by.

                 Bucky opens his eyes and fixes his blurred vision on Bruce in terror. ‘No’ he lips.

                 “Please, Bucky. You’re having a hysterical seizure. This is very dangerous. If we don’t give you the muscle relaxant there is the strong possibility that you’re uterus is going to keep contracting until you hemorrhage. This far from a hospital,  that will be fatal. We can stop this, easily even, I just need you to consent to this.”

                 Bucky clenches his eyes shut and shakes his head. He bites his lip to keep from crying out again as loudly as he did. The noise is still audible and heartbreaking.

                  His brain isn’t working right. His fever is too high for him to be rational. All he knows is that injections lead to pain and violence. Every time they put him under he woke up with a freshly sutured wound and a new piece of himself lost forever. He can’t do that again. They’ll take the most important part of him. His love for Steve isn’t something he can live without. Better he die than have to live not knowing the wolf he’d gladly bond with if he had the chance. He was taken from him once before, but never again.

                  “Stevie…” He whimpers. He’s consented to death but he doesn’t want to be alone when he goes. He never thought it’d be like this but he can think of worse ways to die.

                  “Bucky!” Once Steve heard his name, there was no stopping him. He dashes into the den and immediately drops down to Bucky’s side.

                  “Steve-.” Bucky clenches his eyes shut and tries not to cry out as he gets hit with another wave of hurt. He winds up making a noise like something between a scream and a guttural moan.

                  “Bruce, what do you need to do to fix this?!” Steve demands.

                  “I just need him to let me give him two injections. He’s having a having a-!”

                  “I don’t care what it is! What are the injections?!”

                  “A muscle relaxant to stop the symptoms and a tranquilizer to put him to sleep while he’s experiencing normal heat pains.” Bruce explains quickly.

                  “Will this stop, like heat cramps, if he has sex?” Steve asks just to be sure. He doesn’t think so but he wants to make sure he’s got no other option in case he has to force Bucky to take the injections.

                  “No. Hysterical seizures will lessen but not abate from intercourse alone.” Bruce tells him sternly. “You need to convince him to take the injections.”

                  Steve hunkers down so he’s nose to nose with Bucky. “Bucky, please let him give you the medicine. You need it Sweetheart.”  

                  “No! Take you away…” Bucky manages to moan as he cries. “Can’t live without-!” His words break off into another agonized wail.

                  “No!” Steve whines. “No Bucky, nobody is taking me from you! Hey, Listen to me! I will be here with you always. I’m not leaving you and you are not leaving me because you won’t take some stupid injections!”

                   Bucky barely opens his eyes so he can look at Steve. “Forever?” He asks silently.

                   “Yes! Now let him give you the damn injection or I’m going to hold you down and make you!” Steve hates how harsh he’s being but he’s acting out of both love and fear for Bucky’s life. Bucky slowly shakes his head with his forehead pressed against Steve’s. “No! You don’t want to die!” Steve cups his head in his hands. “You want to live!? You want to be my bondmate and whelp a nice, big, healthy litter for me?! I’ve never wanted that before you came home, but now taking care of you for the rest of our lives is about the only thing I think of! I want you to be my First Omega! If you’ll have me as your alpha, I’ll make you as happy as I possibly can! But we can’t do that unless you take the medicine!”

                   “Bondmate? Really?” The corner of Bucky’s mouth twitches upward in almost a smile.

                   “Yes! Whenever you’re ready! Anytime except now!” Steve sniffles. “Never mind! Now is fine too! Just please don’t die…” His pleas fade off into quiet sobs.

                   “Stevie…” Bucky weakly reaches out and stroke his hair. Steve’s eyes widen in shock. “I feel a lot better now.” Bucky softly rubs their cheeks together. “What did you do?”

                   “Nothing! I just-I- didn’t do anything!” Steve exclaims in surprise.

                   “Must have been the power of love.” Bruce comments from behind Bucky’s back. Bruce holds up the two needles. Steve’s eyebrows go up. Bruce mouths to him. ‘I gave them to him while he was distracted. Thanks.’ Steve slowly nods. He has no idea how he’s going to show his gratitude to Bruce but it’s going to have to be big.

                    “I’m tired.” Bucky mumbles. “Stay?” Bucky asks Steve hopefully.

                    “You are never getting me to leave you again.” Steve kisses Bucky’s forehead. Bucky smiles as he shifts to his lupine form.

                    “Is it okay if he does that?” Steve asks Bruce worriedly.

                    “It’s probably good for him. A shift will heal minor perforations the seizure might have caused. He’s going to be fine Steve. This sometimes happens to omegas who have suffered severe physical injuries. Nobody knows why, but on rare occasions it happens. We caught it quick. He should be fine now. By the ceremony tomorrow, he’ll be right back to his very horny self.”

                    “Oh… so nothing has changed?” Steve struggles to process that. “I think that just took a year off my life and everything is fine now?!” Steve isn’t sure whether to be angry or overjoyed.

                     Bruce shrugs. “What can I say, human pharmaceuticals are good shit.”

                     “Thank you so, so much Bruce. I can’t even begin to tell you how much-.” Steve’s voice cracks. “He really could have died?”

                    “If we didn’t act fast, yes. Luckily we were very, very fast. He’s fine now. When he wakes up he’s going to be in full blown heat, so you might want to prepare yourself for that. The sedative should keep him out for at least the night. I can give him some more in the morning so he doesn’t have to suffer until the ceremony, otherwise he’s just going to writhe around in sexual frustration and stink up the place-oh and hurt. Not this bad, but still enough to feel very uncomfortable.”

                    “Noted. I hope you realize I’m not leaving him while he’s medicated. You can tell Peggy and Sam I won’t mate with him while he’s unconscious, I’m not like that.”

                    “And I hope you realize it’s going to be damn near impossible to resist him once he starts producing normal heat pheromones.” Bruce informs him.

                    “I’m not going to do anything. I’m not even going to consider it. Tomorrow night when he’s awake and gives his permission, that will be it but before then we’re just going to be together. _That’s all_.”

                    “Have it your way. He’ll probably heal faster with you around anyway.” Bruce shrugs. “Do you want us to bring you anything?”

                    “Some blankets would be nice for now. In the morning, we’d like some breakfast please.” Steve tells him. He begins to shift to show that he’s done discussing the matter. Once he’s fully a wolf, he lays down next to Bucky and rests his head on the omega’s shoulders.

                    Sam comes in later with the blankets. Steve growls at him to warn him against banishing him.

                    “No man, you can stay. Bruce says Bucky needs you and I’m too tired to listen to him explain the biology of why. The guy’s really useful and very nice, but when he talks science I check out.”

                     Steve makes a soft ‘che’ noise which is their version of saying ‘yeah’ when they’re in lupine form. Steve’s glad to see Sam supports him. He doesn’t blame Bruce for warning him about how powerful his instincts are going to be. He can already feel the pull now. He’s been half hard for way longer than he’s ever been before. It’s strange but not unexpected. Alpha’s in rut have more blood and a naturally elevated heart rate to increase blood pressure. The result is, Steve can maintain an erection for hours or even days if his rut persists. Based on how much he already wants the omega he’s cuddling with, he better get used to being hard all the time.

                     Sam sets down the thick blankets but lingers by the entrance. He raises an amused eyebrow at Steve who has now got one foreleg over Bucky’s middle as well as his chin perched on Bucky’s spine. Steve’s tail flops crisscrossed over Bucky’s every now and then. The sleeping omega’s tail occasionally twitches as well.

                     “You two look good together. Kinda  like you belong like that.” Sam comments bemusedly.

                     Steve makes another ‘che’ noise and rubs his jowl on Bucky’s shoulder blade. Bucky grunts and flops onto his side so that Steve is now the big spoon. Steve daintily bends his foreleg, unsure of where to rest it now.  He gingerly sets his head down in the dip between Bucky’s shoulder and ear. He finds that his head fits very nicely. He wiggles a bit and hooks his paw around Bucky’s upper foreleg. Steve sighs into the good position contentedly.

                     “Okay, I’m going before I get cavities. See you Steve, you be a good boy now. No humping until it’s time.”

                     Steve snorts and flicks his ear at Sam. The beta laughs as he retreats.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOUWM CHICKA WOUN WOUN!!!  
> “I’ve been feelin tired BBAAAABBBBEE!  
>  TRYin ta hold back this feelin for SoOh long!   
> And if you feel- like I feeeel?  
> AHAHHHHHHEH!!!!  
> Let’s get it on…”  
> Incase you somehow missed that this is actually rated E for explicit, there is about to be some very nasty sexual things happening. Some of these things are questionably bestiality and may be offensive to some people who love flies more than they ought to. I personally do not advocate the fucking of wolves or any other animal that is not a human, however these are not really wolves. These are fully consenting, rational adults who happen to occasionally be in the bodies of wolves. Let us remember, it’s not the looks that count, it’s the ability to give informed consent. BTW: For the people who criticize the a/b/o world by saying heat does not equal consent, you could very well be right in a lot of instances, but this ain’t that fic. They’re consenting okay. Don’t make me explain it, because I will and you’ll be feeling it for a week… bitch.

               The warm body against Bucky’s back fits snuggly against his spine and part of his flank. The wolf’s breath tickles against his ear. He feels a hot ache in his belly. His tongue is like a warm callus in his mouth, his eyes are dried out, and his nose feels raw. All of the liquid in his body seems to be leaking out of his asshole. The slick has made the fur on the base of his tail and thighs stick together in clumps.

                He whimpers as his stomach flutters. This is not at all like it was before, this is bearable. He nudges the body next to him, it smells like exactly what he requires. The overwhelming urge pulls his rational mind out and leaves only the needy flesh. 

                Steve sits up quickly and takes stock of the omega. The alpha is totally alert. His nose flares as he sniffs. Steve’s eyes dart from Bucky’s face down to his bottom, his muscles are tense, his breathing is getting faster.  His alpha scent has become oppressive in the tight place.

                The omega lays back down onto his back and flops his tail to his side, displaying the sticky mess invitingly. The alpha looks at the exposed, dilating ring of muscle Bucky is offering him. After a few seconds of slowly opening, it flutters shut and little more fluid runs out. Bucky moans and rests his head down as he takes a deep breath. The pain of heat cramps is harsh but quick.

                Steve leans forward just an inch before he catches himself. He takes two steps backward towards where they have a basin of water to drink from. Steve gestures to it with his head and huffs. Bucky whines in protest and slams his tail down on the ground. The slap reverberates throughout the room. Bucky is demanding immediate penetration or nothing.

                Steve growls and uses his nose to push the basin towards Bucky. Bucky yips and shakes his head. He slaps his tail again, this time using the claws on his singular front paw to rake at the dirt in frustration. Steve makes a low ‘Rrrr’ sound that works up to sounding like ‘Urooof!’ He’s not moving his feet from the spot. He insists instead that Bucky drink by pushing the water towards him again.

                Bucky laboriously extricates himself from the ground and pads over to the bowl and Steve. Bucky keeps his eyes locked on Steve’s the whole time as he approaches. Bucky slowly bends his neck to drink while still keeping eye contact. His movement gets slower and slow as he gets to the actual drinking part. By the time he’s opened his mouth his tongue is going at a snail’s pace. Steve grumbles at him to get on with it already.

                Just before the tip of his tongue is about to touch the water, Bucky’s eyes snap down to the slightly protruding pink tip of Steve’s cock. Steve is completely taken off guard by the omega as he instantly lunges forward to lap at it instead of the water. The First alpha is knocked backwards flat on the ground with all four legs up in the air, scrambling to get purchase on something as the ravenous omega gently licks at him.

                Bucky did not anticipate the difficulty of giving someone a blow job when one is a three legged wolf, nor how hard Steve was going to struggle. He puts a paw down on Steve’s stomach to keep him still while he shifts over to his human, sex-starved self. He emerges from his shift panting, covered in sweat, hair tangled, with slick running down between his thighs in full-heat volume. He blows Steve a debauched air kiss and winks at him. Steve’s eyes widen as Bucky trails the hand that was holding him down into the sparser fur around his groin region. Bucky lowers his head down to nose at the fleshy sheath that contains Steve’s penis. It slips down and more of Steve’s erection emerges from it when Bucky gives it a gentle pull. Steve yelps uncontrollably in pleasure as his self-control is mortally wounded by Bucky’s soft moaning and deft hands.

                Bucky gazes at the wonderful thing he’s found in awe. Steve’s is bigger than his and redder too. Steve is a very large wolf, it makes sense this part would be big too.  From the sheath to the pointed tip, his cock is the same length as the omega’s face. Bucky grasps the bottom few inches and gives the tip a curious lick. Steve makes a startled barking noise and his legs jerk. Bucky smiles as he investigates his new found toy.

                He tastes similar to the way he does, but Bucky thinks his own taste is saltier. Steve’s has a stronger scent but a tangier taste. Bucky licks again and again until he confidently candy-stripes the whole shaft up to the tip. Steve huffs and shakes as his hips jerk. Bucky pauses a moment but then decides to try something more adventurous than licking. Due to their vicious teeth, wolves do not suck themselves though a satisfying licking may occasionally be in order. Bucky has done the later more than he will ever admit, but never has he sucked a cock. Careful to avoid using his sharp teeth, he smears the pre-come from Steve’s slit over his lips and gently slides the tip and an inch onto his awaiting tongue. That alone is huge in his mouth. Saliva he didn’t know he had and more of Steve’s pre-come fills his cavity with plenty of lubrication. Steve’s hips buck up twice before he can reign himself in. The alpha barely manages to strangle a howl that would tell the whole pack what he’s currently having done to him.

                Steve knows he should stop immediately but he can’t stand to do it. He wants this terribly, especially because Bucky is so enthusiastic about doing it. He had heard that others hate doing this act for each other. Bucky’s zeal for sucking him is a surprise. The quickness which he learns how to stroke him in time with his hand while he hollows his cheeks around what he can fit in his mouth is stunning. Bucky appears almost exactly as he does in the alpha’s most crude fantasies. All he’s missing is a big belly full of his pups and Steve will have his most private of desires fulfilled.

                Bucky keens in surprise as another cramp hits him hard. He pulls his mouth away quickly before he bites. Fluid runs down his chin as he gasps. His breaths seem so loud as he tries to breathe through his nose while he waits for the pain to crest and die off.

                Steve  looks to see the problem but winds up seeing something he missed before. He flips over to get his feet under him. Bucky looks up at him just as Steve sets his paws down on either side of the omega’s body, barring him from any kind of escape. Bucky doesn’t protest one bit. He rolls over and pushes his ass in the air like he’s been told he should only do ‘when appropriate’. If this is not the time, there is no such thing.

                Instead of the thick cock in his ass he was expecting, Steve nudges Bucky forward. Bucky looks up and sees that Steve is pushing him towards the exit. Bucky can see moonlight. Steve ushers him out of the den while steadfastly refusing to reciprocate his affections. It hurts him to deny him. His erection leaks a few drops of seminal fluid, thinking it ought to be someplace it's not. 

                Bucky gets outside and waits for Steve to shift. Once he’s finally in a form that has dexterous lips, Bucky surges forward to kiss. Steve gladly returns the exchange. Bucky backs Steve up against the cliff face then gets flipped around so he’s the one pinned. Bucky wraps a leg around Steve’s waist. The omega gasps in between kisses while Steve has figured out how to breathe through his nose. Bucky glances up at Steve’s eyes then down to his mouth in a moment between passionate kissing.

                “Why aren’t you inside me?” He asks with a slight crinkle between his brows.

                Steve knows there is an answer to that, there is a reason he brought Bucky outside. Bucky’s scent has hijacked his rational thought processes entirely. He squats down, trailing kisses and reverent licks down Bucky’s body as he goes. He gets distracted by a pert nipple that Bucky very much enjoys having pulled, but eventually keeps going until he’s nosing at the omega’s balls and lapping at the slick between his thighs. The omega complies when Steve maneuvers one of his legs bent against Bucky’s chest.

                Gently, Steve feels for the source of the sweet mess coating Bucky’s thighs. Two of his fingers breach the omega’s awaiting body without effort. Bucky pushes his head back against the cliff face and howls at proper wolf volume. Steve is so distracted by pleasing Bucky with his fingers he doesn’t hear the approaching group of irritated betas.

                “You seriously couldn’t wait another hour to do that? Really?” Sam asks.

                Steve stops moving his fingers and growls at Sam. Bucky whines and continues to fuck himself on Steve’s hand, not at all bothered by the audience. Steve tries to speak but his voice is so consumed by growling that his words are not discernable.

                “That’s nice. But I’m going to have to ask you to take your hand out of the omega and come with me, the fertility ceremony is about to start. I somehow doubt they won’t notice you’re missing, especially if he keeps making noises like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you were so bummed out when last chapter didn't end with sexy times. Psych! Double update! 
> 
> -The Trollop
> 
> Number 1 was the lie. My mom is the slug eater, not me.


	17. Chapter 17

                Getting Steve off of Bucky proves to be the most difficult thing the betas have yet to encounter. Sam get’s his nose broken by Steve for his efforts and Bucky bites three people. By the time they get them to the amphitheater, the whole pack has been waiting for five minutes. The omegas all look antsy but none of them are as bad as Bucky is. A beta has to stand behind him to keep his from bolting to Steve. Sam holds his nose and pushes Steve to his proper place in line with the rest of the alphas. He shakes his head at Steve and purposefully stands between him and Bucky to block their view of each other. Another beta comes with some gauze.

               “This is totally ridiculous, when this is over we’ve got to find a way to punish him for this. He can’t go attacking you just because you’re doing your job!” Peggy exclaims as she dabs at the blood around Sam’s nose.

               “Believe me, I’m thinking about it. Come on now, we’ve got to get on with this.” Sam tells her. “Damn that hurt…” He mutters and glares at Steve. Steve is not paying him any mind, he shuffles back and forth trying to look at the omega who is doing the same.

               “Let’s begin.” Peggy tells the betas that are assisting with the ceremony. Two of them bring torches to light the bonfire while the teenage omegas who are viewing this event for the first time, pile more flowers around The Breeding Stone. They will not be participating, only helping.

                An alpha that Bucky has seen Steve speaking with a few times gets up off a bench and stands before the line of alphas and omegas with some note cards in his hands. He’s the senior alpha of the pack and it’s apparently his job to do this speech at the beginning of the ceremony. Bucky thinks his name is Chester or something.

                He looks through the first couple note cards and clears his throat. “I seem to be having trouble with my speech. My first couple of jokes were about how proud we should be to keep up our abstinence. In light of… whatever that mess was, I’m not sure if that’s still funny.” The gathering snorts and snickers at that. Bucky’s foggy brain is aware that something is a joke but not what it is. He begins to whimper pathetically in need. Steve calls to him with bark-like whine. That makes Bucky feel slightly better, at least his alpha is close. “Well, they’re passionate at least.” The old alpha chuckles. Bucky doesn’t see why that’s comical. He hurts and he doesn’t like that he’s been forced away from Steve.

                The alpha sighs. “For those of you who have never done this before, I’m sorry. Usually we try to be slightly more mysterious about this, makes it a little less weird. We do this a certain way each year because that’s what our ancestors have been doing since as far back as we have records. Our history is written by the intimacy of our leaders. Time and time again we’ve seen that the pups of The First Alpha grow up to become First Alpha’s themselves. My father was a First Alpha, I was a First Alpha, Steve’s father was a First Alpha, and now he is ours. Good genetics are important for more than just leadership, the pack’s numbers a bolstered by The First Couple’s offspring. Their pups have a better chance of surviving their first shift and so do the pups of their pups. The fortitude of our species depends on good matches. Tonight, our First Alpha picks a new First Omega…” Chester scratches his temple. “This next part was a lot better before they got halfway there already.” He reads off of his card. “’Whomever is chosen, let us hope that they are eager to participate in our proud legacy.’ See that sounded better before, now it’s just kind of obvious. I had more but it’s all crap now.” He puts his note cards away. “I spent two days writing this damn speech, why do I even bother?”

                Peggy puts a hand on his shoulder and leads him away to his seat where he’ll watch the proceedings with the rest of the viewers who will not be participating but didn’t want to miss the show. The viewers are at one end of an aisle created by the lines of alphas and omegas that leads to The Breeding Stone. The fire is four meters away from the opposite side of the important rock. Someone laid out a blanket on top of the stone before surrounding it with flowers.

                Bucky leans as far to the right as he can, trying to look at Steve. They’ve begun reading ‘The Rules’ but Bucky isn’t paying attention. The gist is simple: They offer. Bucky can say yes or no.

                Sam’s voice sounds nasally because of the cotton plugging his nostrils. He reads from a piece of paper, “We will begin with the highest ranking participating omega.” That would normally be The First Omega but she’s not participating. It doesn’t occur to Bucky that he will be First Omega next year. He watches as one at a time, pairs are matched. An alpha is rejected only a few times. One omega wanted one that he knew hadn’t won the tournament but had already won their affections. The reunited pair shifts and happily rubs their cheeks together as they joyfully give each other a good sniff.

                Just watching another omega getting their ass sniffed does things to Bucky. Bucky holds his stomach as another heat cramp hits. The slick that drips onto his thigh gets the attention of every alpha in line regardless of whether they’ve already been paired. The shiny lubricant reflects the firelight, drawing more attention to Bucky. A few of the alphas move their feet. Bucky glances around at them and raises his lip to snarl. He’s already chosen, he doesn’t want any of them. A particularly loud, angry rumble from the beginning of the line of alphas, reminds them all to mind their place. Bucky does his best to look for the source but his escort stops him from leaving his spot in line. Bucky struggles against the betas hold but is distracted by everyone’s attention falling on him.

               Bucky is the next and last omega in line.  He realizes what this means and instantly forgets his hostilities towards the beta behind him. He is so grateful that he finally gets to go to Steve he misses what Sam reads. Instead of announcing Steve’s name like he was supposed to, he loudly declares that the first to propose to Bucky that night is The Fourteenth Alpha, Brock.

               Brock takes a step out of the line with a pleasant smile on his face.

               “You shouldn’t-!” Bucky shakes his head. His hormones are reeling. Brock smells like he would make strong pups but that’s only Bucky’s biology’s opinion. He doesn’t have to do what his heat brain wants, he can reject him if he so pleases. He just has to work up the will to do it.

               “I know you wanted-.” Brock begins but is cut short by Steve tackling him to the ground. A bunch of people start yelling but Bucky just stands there and watches Steve punch Brock in the face, over and over again. Steve growls ferociously at the offending lesser alpha that has just dared to insinuate he’d be a better mate for Bucky than he would. Brock’s face has been cut up by Steve’s knuckles, his nose looks worse than Sam’s does by a lot. Sam is reluctant to get in there, Steve is so outraged that he might kill Brock if something isn’t done quickly.

               Peggy starts screaming at Bucky to act. Bucky agrees he should do something but not for Brock’s sake. He takes a few steps forward and grabs Steve by the hair with his single hand. Steve looks up but does not resist his chosen omega. He stops his assault on Brock the instant the omega touches him. Bucky glances down at Brock.

               “No.” He tells him, which is enough to get Steve to drop Brock’s nearly unconscious body and stand up with Bucky. The alpha’s hands cup the sides of Bucky’s face as he fawns over him by kissing him gently on the forehead and scenting his check and jaw. The tip of Steve’s nose tickles over the crest of Bucky’s cheek as the pleased alpha gives the omega’s jaw a tiny lick.

               “Because he missed three matches today,” Sam begins tiredly. “The First Alpha is supposed to be presented fourth today. However for the safety of everyone involved, I think it’s best he’s presented now. Steve you may…” Bucky rakes his claws down Steve’s back when the alpha grabs his ass and then picks him up entirely. “Keep doing that… I guess.” Bucky melds their mouths together as Steve holds him as tightly as he can. They make pleased noises that are muffled by their joined mouths. Bucky’s high-pitched, rhythmic whines get closer together as he grinds on Steve’s hip. Slick is freely dripping out of him in gushes.

               The audience watches this apprehensively. It’s not usually like this. This is the sort of behavior couples save for the den. The older pack members can remember times when enamored pairs would copulate as part of the ceremony but there was never this level of intensity to it. Sam is supposed to say more but he’s not sure how to interrupt this.

               “Bucky? I need your attention for one second.” Sam tries to interject politely.

               Bucky sighs as Steve kisses down his neck. The alpha’s hips roll against his partner’s backside. His fully erect cock slides easily against Bucky’s well lubricated balls and thighs. Bucky isn’t paying any attention to Sam. He holds onto Steve as he grinds his erection between their warm bodies.

               Peggy nudges Sam. “You had better say it before they get too far.” She advises him. Sam clears his throat.

               “Bucky, our First Alpha has chosen you as his mate this season. If you accept his proposal, you will become the new First Omega. Do you accept this duty?” Sam asks. Bucky should be standing in solemn resignation, listening to Sam as he gives him his official ‘swearing in’. Instead Steve is carrying the omega to The Breeding Stone while Bucky happily moans into his shoulder. “Bucky?”

               “Oh yes!” Bucky cries as he gets laid out on his back. He bites his lip to stifle an eager whine.

               Sam is not sure if that was directed at him or not but he takes that as the answer anyway. “Then from now until this night next year, you shall be The First Omega of East Ridge Pack. You may now consummate your position.” Sam shields his eyes.

.oOo.

                Bucky’s brain has been elsewhere for most of the ceremony. All he seems to be able to think about is satisfying this horrendous ache in his loins. He feels like his insides have shifted out of the way so that there is now an empty space meant to be occupied by Steve’s cock and no one else’s. He’d kill any other alpha that tried. When Brock tries to propose, his hindbrain is happy to see that Steve would kill too. Bucky doesn’t want Steve to beat this shit out of Brock, he’s just not in the state of mind to worry if he does.

                When Steve is finally chest to chest with him again, Bucky’s whole body buzzes with excitement. He’s not nervous at all to be so close, just eager. When Steve kisses him and carries him in his arms like he’s completely helpless, Bucky’s never felt so well cared for. This alpha is so good to him, he can hardly handle how euphoric it makes him feel. Every little thing Steve does makes him want him more. With every caress and kiss, the omega becomes more certain he’s going to spend the rest of his life basking in the feeling of being cherished.

                As he’s set down on his back, he gets a little more clarity to his thoughts. He realizes he’s about to be penetrated in the middle of a public ceremony and that makes him feel slightly hesitant for a moment. Steve said this would be special. He feels like the most important thing in the world. If that’s not special, Bucky doesn’t know what is. 

                Steve’s thick cock throbs against Bucky’s femoral artery. The pair slowly exchanges kisses as the urgency to mate is overwhelmed by the desire to protect and satisfy. After a few more indulgent kisses Steve pulls away from Bucky so he can look at him.

                “How do you want it?” Steve rumbles. His voice is so deep and animalistic that his words have to be simple in order to be understood.

                Bucky nods. “Like this. So I can see you.” The sound of the blood rushing through his ears is like a roar. His stomach flips again and again with excitement. Steve seems delighted by his response.

                “Not wolves?” Steve asks to be sure.

                Bucky considers it. Maybe later he might enjoy trying to fit Steve’s lupine phallus inside himself while he’s still in his man form. His ass would probably hurt for days but it’d be worth it to feel so full. This is his first time though, he should start with something easier, something he’s sure will feel good.

                “No, like this.” Bucky bites his lip. Steve sits up so he’s kneeling with Bucky’s thighs spread around his hips. The alpha looks down at him hungrily. It feels like they’re the only two people in the universe when they’re together like this.

                Steve slowly slips his hand between their groins, down to where Bucky’s asshole impatiently flutters. Steve places one digit against the firm ring and pushes it inside gently. Bucky’s body goes pliant immediately and sucks his finger in hungrily. Steve gasps and adds a second finger. Bucky ‘s eyes are half lidded as he rolls his hips into Steve’s touch.

                “More! I’m in heat! Can take it all at once you know?” He sasses in a voice that is little more than a husky whine.

                “’M being careful.” Steve assures him. He adds two more fingers all the same. This time the breech is not as easy as it was at first. Bucky’s breath catches and he digs his nails into his thigh at the sudden tightness unlike anything he’s felt before. He always stopped at two fingers, this is the most he’s ever had inside his ass. Steve gently rocks his fingers and hums pleasantly to his mate. Bucky takes ragged breaths as his body gets accustomed to it. His eyes fall on Steve’s cock which he realizes is bigger than three fingers. He doesn’t care if it’s a tight fit, he’s getting that thing shoved up his ass as far as it will go.

                The well-lubricated muscle squeezing Steve’s fingers loosens suddenly as another wave of slick oozes out around Steve’s knuckles. The omega’s opening dilates just enough so that the three fingers in his ass don’t feel like a stretch anymore. “Steve.” Bucky looks up at his alpha’s face. “Stevie, now.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooooooooooooo....................
> 
> The chapter got long so now it's two parts. Smut, smut,smut. Yes, this time will be fairly normal but it might get weird. Like, weird weird. My search history for 'inspiration' is just demented. I know a lot of you read my work for the humor and fluff not the sex so I'm sorry to be writing this. What can I say, I read a lot of Teen Wolf fics and I'm just... completely fucked up in the head. 
> 
> Sorry for the long period between updates, I've moved out of two homes and into a new one, quit a job, did a commissioned mural, visited a bunch of people, and drove for ten hours, all in the past five days. I've been super, super busy. 
> 
> BTW the reason Steve missed three matches is because he refused to leave Bucky while he was sedated.   
> -The Trollop


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: 'Interspecies' sex. Not really though because they are werewolves and therefor the same species. I posted my rant last chapter. You have been warned.

              Steve gazes down at Bucky with a look of utter adoration. The corner of the breathless omega’s mouth upturns. Bucky tries to pull Steve closer with his legs. Steve strokes the omega’s hip soothingly.

              “Easy.” Steve rumbles to him. He picks up Bucky’s hips so that he can align the tip of his cock against Bucky’s quivering entrance. The tip pushes against the slippery ring of muscle causing the flesh to dip inward but not yield to the pressure. Steve shushes Bucky as the alpha patiently pushes his hips forward.

              Bucky’s mouth drops open. He makes a very lupine ‘Eh!’ noise. Slowly, the tip of Steve’s cock disappears inside of him until the head is entirely buried in his tight hole. Steve groans from the effort of fighting the instinct to thrust hard. Bucky gasps several times. His hand flies to Steve’s shoulder. His claws dig into his alpha’s muscly shoulder blade deep enough to draw blood. Steve hardly feels the sting.

              After all of his pining and big talk, the stretch is uncomfortable for the omega. He’s getting used to it but it’s so new, his body is still figuring it out. He’s in heat, this should be easy! The fingers were fine! Bucky huffs determinedly. He’s not going to let a little strain ruin this for him. “More?” He asks as he tries to hide his discomfort. The alpha isn’t quite alert enough to realize Bucky’s struggling. Luckily he’s already determined to go slow. Steve grunts and shifts his hips a little more under the omega. Gravity begins to do the work for him. Bucky feels himself begin to gradually sink down onto Steve’s shaft.

              “Ah!”  Bucky cries out. He bites his lip and moans as he forces his body to accept penetration. He might have been overestimating himself when he fantasized about fucking Steve’s other form. His virgin tight body isn’t on the same level as his sex starved mind. He’s been dripping and dreaming about this for months, how can it be so difficult after all of that mental preparation? It’ll get easier, he thinks. Steve will fuck him open soon enough and then he can get back to his horny, one track mind’s plans.

              “Relax.” Steve shifts forward to nuzzle him. His movement forces his cock in another inch deeper. Bucky flinches and whimpers at the slight increase in girth. He’s a little more than halfway there and shaking. Steve notices that. “You okay?” He asks worriedly.

              Bucky grimaces, hiding his pain from Steve won’t do them any favors. “Feels like ‘m being split open!” The omega complains as he hugs Steve’s head against his neck. “Burns.”

              “Want to stop?” Steve asks concernedly. He draws his hips back enough to take away some of Bucky’s progress.

              “No!” Bucky shrieks. He’d lose it if Steve stopped now. It hurts but it’s the best kind of hurt. He nips at the skin on Steve’s temple in complaint.  

              “Don’t bite or I will…” Steve rasps to him before exhaling a guttural moan.

              “You wanna bite?” Bucky squeaks. Steve looks up at him. Their eyes meet and their breathing syncs. The answer is a very clear ‘yes’. “I’d let you, you know?” The alpha can’t stop himself from thrusting forward half an inch. Bucky grunts.

              The omega feels his head start to get foggier. The pain is dulled and he becomes aware of something acutely aching deep inside himself just next to where Steve’s cock is about to press. Bucky ducks his head down and joins their lips together. The stretch doesn’t hurt so badly now. He begins to roll his hips forward in little tentative thrusts. Steve presses their entangled mouths together more urgently as his hips stutter through motions far too brief for his desire’s liking. Their lips part briefly, the pair sucks in deep breaths before crashing their wet mouths back together. Steve is so close to being fully inside Bucky. The omega urges Steve forward by pulling him in with his powerful thighs. His hip movements are growing more confident. Bucky leans his head away to gulp, lick his lips, and speak.

               “Stevie?” Bucky rakes his fingers through Steve’s hair.

               “Huh?” Steve gasps as Bucky’s ass clenches and unclenches around him. The omega whines with his lower lip trembling. Steve lightly kisses it, then the corner of his mouth. Bucky arches his back slightly and stops.

               “OH!” He cries. His eyes bulge out as a bolt of pleasure rips through him. “Oh fuck what is tha-!?” Steve thrusts forward again, this time much harder. Bucky’s jaw drops open as he screams in ecstasy. Once his shocked cry dies off, he squeaks between breaths. Steve keeps thrusting right into that same spot. His hips jerk Bucky’s body forward every time he thrusts into his now welcoming body. The pain is now inconsequential as long as he gets more of that. “Please more! Need that! Oh! Oh!” His hole has lost it’s prior tension. He still squeezes Steve tight, but not tight enough to hurt himself.

               “Better?” Steve rumbles to his mate. The alpha punctuates his words with thrusts into the spongy tissue of Bucky’s prostate. Bucky gasps again and again between long moans. Steve takes hold of the back of Bucky’s knees and changes the way Bucky is lying so Bucky doesn’t have to keep his back arched while Steve keeps grazing his prostate.

               Bucky’s feet shake as Steve rails into him again and again. The alpha’s knot is beginning to form. This time Bucky’s body isn’t resisting the stretch. His ass accepts the inflated bulb at the base of Steve’s cock with welcoming gushes of lubricant. Bucky screams in pleasure, this is what he hoped it would feel like. He’s right on the edge of a whole new kind of orgasm and all he can do is hold on. Every thrust puts him closer. His dick leaks pre come in gobs. He’s had plenty of orgasms from stroking of licking himself but he’s never had an orgasm from prostate stimulation before. A cloacal orgasm is nine times more powerful than a penial orgasm. Bucky can’t fathom how he’s lived all these years without this.

               The throbbing point in his body that Steve keeps bombarding sends waves of pleasure through him. They get increasingly strong each time until it feels like it can’t possibly get any better. Bucky pushes his head back against the rock with his eyes clenched shut and his mouth open as he lets out a lusty howl. His toes have curled so tight he can’t feel them, though he really doesn’t care. He holds his breath for half a second and then bursts.

               “Awwahhhh!” He cries as his whole body shakes uncontrollably with pleasure. His ass locks like a vise around Steve’s knot. The alpha makes a sound like he’s been punched in the gut. He curls in on himself slightly as his hips jerk back and forth only a few centimeters. He can’t move much when Bucky’s got him tied like this. Steve bends down and nuzzles Bucky’s neck affectionately. He stays there and rumbles contentedly.

               There’s more wetness inside the omega now. It feels odd and juicy but very satisfying. Aftershocks from his orgasm continue to pulse through him. He mewls in satisfaction. Just one more thing and then this will be perfect.

               “Stevie?” He says again. He tried to tell him earlier but he got lost in pleasure before he could get it out.

               “Hmm?” Steve hums to him like last time.

               “Bite?” Bucky whispers.

               Steve doesn’t hesitate. The couple doesn’t even notice the cheers from the onlookers.

.oOo.

The Next Morning

               They’ve been fucking almost continuously since The Breeding Stone. Since Bucky got a taste of cloud nine, he can’t get enough of it. Their biggest pause of the night was when they eventually scampered home to Steve’s den. They christened it in their lupine forms in the oldest position known to wolves. Bucky gets why people do it like that now, the angle was fantastic.

               “Mmmm…” Bucky groans.

               Steve can only growl possessively back to him in his lupine form. Steve is behind Bucky with his cock locked in Bucky’s human ass. They are both on their side in the blanket filled hole in the center of Steve’s den. Steve is big and flexible enough to lean over Bucky and lap at Bucky’s leaking erection.  Bucky clutches at the fur on the back of Steve’s neck. He grunts and tries to keep from screaming. His throat is sore from all the loud vocalizations he’s made over the past nine hours. His cock spurts semen onto his belly and the sheets. The amount of ejaculate he’s produced has tapered a bit since last night. He only ejaculates every third or fourth time they couple. Steve licks it all up without any complaint like he always does no matter the form.

               Steve’s knot has finally deflated enough for him to slip out. His penis leaves his omega gaping when he removes himself. Steve gives that a good lick too once it’s no longer stretched to it’s limits. Bucky bites his lip and keens into the sheets. Steve is extremely pleased by this. He shifts over to his man-self so they can talk.

               Bucky stretches while he waits for Steve to finish shifting. The alpha cracks his neck once he’s de-fuzzed. He bends over Bucky again and gives him a quick kiss.

               “How are you?” Steve asks.

               Bucky chuckles and pulls his knees up to his chest. Steve glances down and leans back to watch as Bucky pushes a rather impressive volume of come out of his loosened ass. The omega chuckles as Steve looks on in shocked arousal. The semen drips out in gobs and lands on the sheets or drips down further into Bucky’s ass crack.

               “That’s…” Steve has no idea what to say for himself. He’s kind of proud but also bashful to have made such a mess inside his mate.

               “A lot of jizz?” Bucky finishes amusedly. He props himself up on his elbows. “I noticed.” Bucky winks. Steve can’t help but duck his head and smile shyly whenever Bucky does that. It’s a surefire way to get him on the way to wanting another round.

               “We should clean you up a little. We’ve got to clean your bite again anyway.” Steve gets up to get the cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol to clean Bucky’s favorite wound. Sam ran to get them the supplies before the two of them disappeared into their den. It’s important to clean it so his glands don’t become infected. That can quickly become very serious. More than a few bondmates have died of infection only a few days after bonding because of lack of bite care. Steve is being a little paranoid about it. They’ve had two minute bite cleaning breaks every three hours. Bucky doesn’t mind, he’s too happy to be bothered by anything.

                Steve sits down right beside him with cotton and alcohol in hand. Bucky scoots over and sets his shoulders down in Steve’s lap. He bares his mark so Steve can easily clean it. Steve beams and applies the alcohol to a swab.

                “This is going to sting a bit.” Steve warns. He strokes his fingers through Bucky’s hair adoringly.

                “So you’ve told me every time. For the third time, I don’t think it hurts at all.” Bucky snickers as Steve dabs at the bite mark.

                “It’s instinct. I really can’t help it.” Steve shrugs. “Get used to it. You’re going to be pampered, I’m sorry.”

                “I might go nuts.” Bucky snorts.

                “Nuts, sane, I don’t care. You’re my bondmate now, I’m going to love you however you are.”

                Bucky blinks at him a few times with a soft, uncertain smile on his face. “That’s…” He bites his lip and glances away for a moment. He quirks one eyebrow. “You’ve never said it plainly like that before.”

                “You didn’t say it back.” Steve draws the swab away and gives him a look.

                “Don’t be such a punk! I love you too or I woulda never asked you to bite me!” Bucky snaps playfully. He sits up and kisses Steve. He wraps his arm around him and climbs into his lap. Round ‘they’ve honestly forgotten’ has commenced. It'd be silly to waste time cleaning Bucky's sloppy hole now.

                “Hey guys?” Comes Sam’s voice from the entrance to their den. Steve turns and snarls viciously at the intruder. He holds Bucky to his chest tightly to protect his vulnerable mate and assert he belongs to him.

                “You see, this is why nobody else will help you guys out. I brought you tea you ungrateful fucks.” Sam sasses back with all the due annoyance he should rightfully have after all the couple has put him through in the past twenty four hours.

                Steve looks at Bucky. “Oh!” He rumbles in his rut voice. “Right the tea… I forgot about that. Crap.” Steve gently sets Bucky down. The omega fidgets as Steve leaves to go get the cup from Sam. He comes back carefully carrying the warm liquid. Bucky looks from it to Steve and bites the inside of his lip.

                “So…” He says as he runs his fingers through his hair. Steve hands him the cup. Bucky takes it and looks at the brown liquid. “You thought at all about pups?” Bucky asks, still not raising the tea to his lips.

                “I… have given it…” Steve begins slowly. “Quite a bit actually.” He finally answers with a rumbly sigh. “It’s instinct to want them, you know?”

                “Right.” Bucky nods. “But I mean, in an other than instinct kind of way.”

                Steve pauses. “Maybe a little.” He sits down next to Bucky. “Or a lot. I don’t know, how do you feel? It’s really your choice. I don’t want you to feel pressure from me just because I’m an alpha. You don’t have to do anything just to make me happy, you know that right?”

                “I know.” Bucky nods and leans his head against Steve’s shoulder, prompting Steve to pet his head again. “I want them for me because they make me happy.” Steve flinches and looks at him wide eyed with hope and joy.

                “You're serious?!” He yips delightedly.

                Bucky holds out his arm and dumps the tea onto the dirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to conclude the heat parts at this point because I'm dying to move onto the ooshy gooshy fluffy parts and the pack being adorable. Also because this thing is a time suck.
> 
> I'm taking eighteen credits (Three credits per class, one credit per lab. I have four labs.) but I will survive. 
> 
> In other news I've been improving upon my love life which has left my writing of romance somewhat neglected. Mostly this chapter was just really hard to get into writing. Second part was a breeze for some reason. IDK. 
> 
> I suspect a picture I posted of a puppy is actually a polar bear cub... inconclusive.  
> tumblr: www.tumblr.com/blog/thenotorioustrollop


	19. Chapter 19

Five weeks later…

                 Bucky is supposed to meet Peggy at The First Omega’s hut in ten minutes but he can’t get up off his belly. He’s been throwing up into some bushes near the entrance to his den for the past fifteen minutes. Steve left earlier that morning to help with some kind of fight that broke out between a new couple. Tis the season everyone says. Bucky just wants his stomach to stop turning. He makes an awful croaking noise several times in his lupine form until he eventually hacks. It’s not much at this point, just yellow gook and froth. He should probably try and fight it off and get on with the day. He stands up on three weak legs and turns to bury his vomit with his back paws.

                “Bucky?” Steve calls worriedly from their den. He must have come home and discovered Bucky was missing. “Baby, where are you?” There is a slight whine to his voice.

                “Ruuu!” Bucky howls to him so he can be found. Steve locates him quickly. Bucky is still struggling to flick dirt and stay upright while being dizzy.

                “Hey, hey, hey… let me help.” Steve kneels down next to him and pushes dirt over the spot where Bucky got sick. Bucky turns his head to look. He sighs and rubs his fuzzy cheek against Steve’s head. Steve scratches his hackles and behind his ears. “What happened? You eat something bad or…” The corner of Steve’s mouth turns upward. Steve isn’t stupid, he knows about morning sickness. They’ve been watching for this ever since Bucky didn’t bleed two weeks ago.

                 Bucky wags his tail even if he doesn’t raise it all that high. He’s too wobbly for any extreme enthusiasm. This is the first morning he’s woken up feeling bad but yesterday his stomach hurt a little in the afternoon. He’s not overjoyed to be sick, but he likes the possible reason for it.

                 Steve pets down his flank, pausing only briefly on his soft belly. Bucky catches him and wiggles Steve’s hand away playfully. “What?” Steve laughs. “I’m not allowed?” Bucky shakes his head gently and makes an amused ‘che’ noise. He sticks his tongue out and pushes it at Steve like he’s going to lick the alpha with his foul puke breath.

                “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to keep me at bay.” Steve chuckles. “Because you know I’ve kissed you after having much grosser stuff than vomit in my mouth.”

                Bucky grunts and gives him a hard nudge with his shoulder before licking his cheek and turning human. As soon as he’s shifted, he feels the bile in his throat rise almost at once. He stumbles forward on his knees and vomits again

                “Oh! Watch out hey-!” Steve takes hold of him around the middle and pulls his hair out of the way.

                “In my nose…” Bucky grumbles indignantly. Steve strokes his back.

                “We went to sleep like this, when did you shift?” Steve asks him as he rubs his bondmate’s shoulder.

                “Sometime during the night. I don’t know. I do it during some dreams. Why?” Bucky coughs and spits out some excess saliva. 

                “Nothing.” Steve shakes his head. “Just keep trying to do it less.” Steve pats his back reassuringly.

                Bucky groans and attempts to stand up. Steve helps him which makes it a little easier. He’s still partially doubled over when Peggy comes to find Bucky twenty minutes after he was supposed to have met her.

                “Hello there. Not feeling well I see.” Peggy says as she approaches. The couple sits by the entrance to their den enjoying the fresh air.

                “Yeah, not so good.” Steve tells her. He’s got Bucky tucked under one arm where the omega can curl in on himself and snuggle into Steve’s body.

                “That’s alright.” Peggy smiles and waves her hand. “I’m sure it will pass in a bit. Come to the hut when you feel better and I’ll teach you something.”

                “Teach me?” Bucky raises his head to look at her. “I thought we were giving out sanitary supplies?”

                “Ha!” She exclaims in amusement with laughter in her voice. “No that’s passed now, we’re still taking care of omegas but it’s a different group now. You’ll be _very_ interested, I’m sure.”

                “Oh…” Bucky nods. His eyes dart around as he thinks. “Which omegas are those?”

                “The ones who didn’t have their period. I’m checking everyone for pregnancy pheromones today. Come by when you feel up to it.” She winks and turns to leave.

                “Wait! I’m okay!” Bucky lunges to get up, pulling Steve with him. He makes a wretched gagging noise once he’s on his feet. He braces himself on his knees until the latest wave of nausea passes. Steve stands with his hand hovering over Bucky’s back with a worried look of his face.

                “Are you sure…?” Peggy observes him suspiciously.

                “Yep! Fine, totally fine.” Bucky waves it off and then promptly dashes for the bushes.

.oOo.

                They are unsuccessful in keeping Bucky away from his lesson. The omega determinedly insisted despite Steve’s pleading and Peggy’s wariness about having him yak in the place she spends most of her time. Bucky promises he’ll at least make it outside if he needs to vomit again. Steve is just as stubborn as Bucky about accompanying him to the hut even though he has his own business to attend to.

                Bucky and Steve sit in the hut while Peggy lets in one omega after another. She simply sniffs them on the neck and tells them if they’re pregnant or not. She has Bucky make checks next to their names afterwards. The first few times go by so fast Bucky doesn’t get the chance to ask questions. There seem to be a lot of pregnant omegas this year.

                “Alright Bucky, you're turn. Dottie here is a pretty good example.” Peggy tells Bucky as she waves him over. The cute omega in his mid-twenties fidgets excitedly. Bucky leans over his shoulder to smell him. He doesn’t smell anything odd about his scent despite it being a ‘good example’. “It should smell a bit like red clay, do you smell it?”

                Bucky knows what red clay smells like but he doesn’t smell it in this room. He shakes his head and straightens up. “No, nothing.” Bucky tells her. “Was I not close enough?”

                “You should be able to smell him from where you are now.” She tells him.

                “Am I pregnant?” The omegas asks hopefully.

                “Yes you are dear, no doubt about it.” Peggy tells him. The young omega explodes into joyous whooping. Bucky is very surprised to find himself pulled into an embrace.

                “Thank you! Thank you so much! I knew you’d bring good luck!” He tells Bucky before scampering out the door to go tell his alpha.

                Bucky stands there with a surprised look stuck of his face. “What was that about?” He asks bewilderedly.

                 Peggy makes note of the pregnancy she just confirmed in the record book. “Not much. Rumor has it you’re a fertility spirit here to bless our pack.” Peggy tells them dismissively.

                Bucky’s hair stands on end. “Why?!”

                “That’s what happens when you mysteriously appear out of nowhere, seduce The First Alpha, and scandalize us on The Breeding Stone. Our conception rates are five times what they’ve been in the past ten years. Couples that have been trying to conceive for three seasons are suddenly pregnant after giving up trying.”

                “I-I-!” Bucky looks at Steve who only looks extremely proud, not at all embarrassed like Bucky feels.

                “Don’t worry about it. This is a good thing. We could use a population spike.” She opens the door to the hut and ushers the next person in. “Let’s see if you can smell it this time.”

                Three pregnant omegas later, Bucky realizes he can’t smell it at all. “I don’t get it!” Bucky sits down next to Steve in a frustrated huff. “Why can’t I smell it?! I have a better sense of smell than most people, this shouldn’t be hard!”

                Peggy chuckles and covers her eyes. “I’ll admit I’ve been a bit deceptive.”

                “What?!” Bucky barks. His temper flares up much quicker than normal. “Is this some kind of game? Were none of them really pregnant?”

                “No, they were all pregnant. I just knew you wouldn’t be able to smell it on any of them.”

                Bucky stares at her silently then glances from her to Steve. The alpha’s leg bounces anxiously. He didn’t realize Steve had a hold on his hand until now. Steve has it so much now he notices it more when Steve isn’t stroking his knuckles with his thumb.

                “Bucky, you can’t smell it on others because you've gotten used to smelling it on yourself. Congratulations, you’re pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fucking school has sucked me dry of all my time and energy. I have three or four bio/ physics assignments do A DAY! Between all the head scratching and screaming these things take me six hours to complete sometimes . I'm a smart cookie, I can get through this, but holy fuck is my time for fan fiction chopped to pieces. At some point I'm going to write a bit for something where Tony actually talks physics and use what I know, but for know I'm still like. "AHHHHHH!!!!!!!" 
> 
> Message me on tumblr sometime, I love that. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	20. Chapter 20

                Bucky struggles to contain his excitement. He takes a deep breath and asks, “You’re sure?”

                Peggy beams at the couple. “You could take a test if you like but I’ve never been wrong. You’re going to need to start taking some vitamins and limit the amount of shifting you do.”

                Bucky bites his lip. He’s tearing up uncontrollably. Hormones have already made all of his reactions more extreme. Steve wraps his arms around him and kisses him all over his face. Bucky smiles as wide as he can while his lower lip quivers. “Thank you.” Steve whispers to Bucky as he strokes his fingers through Bucky’s hair.

                “Why are you thanking me?” Bucky hiccups out with a little sob.

                “For showing up out of nowhere and giving me everything I’ve ever wanted in life.” Steve nuzzles Bucky’s cheek very affectionately between peppering him with little kisses.

                “I didn’t have a life before I found you again, you don’t have to thank me for anything.” Bucky sobs. He seizes Steve by the jaw and stills his lips with an intense kiss. Steve pulls Bucky into his lap so there is no space between them at all.  Bucky emits a happy little moan and rolls his hips. The moment of pure joy and love turns into a lustful exchange in an instant. Steve’s hand makes a nice ‘thwack’ sound when he grabs Bucky’s ass.

                “Not in this room!” Peggy cries.

                The couple stops in embarrassment and apologizes as they leave to go continue in their den.

.oOo.

                After ‘celebrating’ their good news, Steve reluctantly has to get back to doing his duties to the pack. He has a hunting trip to lead and a few minor disputes to settle about housing. Bucky goes to Tony to get his vitamins and something to snack on.

                “Do you just roll around in Steve’s come after sex or something? I swear you smell like debauchery every time I see you these days.” Tony says in greeting when Bucky approaches the counter. Bucky blushes. Steve just came all over his stomach and chest in a rather impulsive marking gesture. Bucky didn’t complain. He thought he cleaned up pretty well but apparently not well enough.

                “We were excited okay.” Bucky mumbles. “I need something.”

                “I figured. What’s the order?”

                Bucky turns his eyes downward as one side of his mouth turns upward in a warm half smile. “Vitamins, the kind for whelping.” Bucky tells him bashfully.

                Tony stares at him then points to his stomach. “For you? You’re whelping? OH FUCK YOU’RE WHELPING!” Tony yells loudly enough to alert the whole pack. Bucky grimaces as passerby turn their heads to look at him.

                “Yes, fuck!” Bucky hisses. “Are you going to give me what I need or what?”

                “Sorry!” Tony puts his hands on his head. “I just-! WOW! This is a big deal! Like a very, very big deal!”

                “Why?” Bucky scrunches up his nose. “Lots of omegas are whelping this year?”

                “Well that’s the thing, that’s no accident. Lots of people thought you and Steve were going to try for sure so a lot of people tried too. It’s just not very common for omegas to get pregnant on the first go. I heard about that freaky thing that happened the night before, some people had their doubts about you conceiving. But then you guys actually _made love_ and bonded on The Breeding Stone and that was a HUGE deal so everybody got all superstitious. It’s been a long time since The First Alpha of our pack has sired pups and it’s been oh…” He blows out some air. “Probably half a century since The First Pair bonded on The Breeding Stone! Now half the omegas in the pack are expecting after years of low birthrates and miscarriages. We’re going to have a whole new generation because of just this season!” Bucky gives the chatty omega a skeptical look. “Maybe you are a fertility spirit…” Tony raises an eyebrow. “Do you feel spiritual?”

                “No. I’m hungry, horny, and a little bit nauseous. Give me the pills so I can get the fuck out of here.” Bucky snaps.

                “Okay, okay.” Tony turns around and pulls the big bottle of prenatal vitamins off the shelf. “Shit, I’m going to have to stock up on pickles! That’s not going to be cheap.”

                Bucky hadn’t thought of it. He looks around Tony’s hut at all the things he’s got stored. He assumed Tony stole them because they must be expensive. How does Tony have money? Humans earn it by working in their human societies. Their kind has no monetary system at all. Tony couldn’t trade for supplies could he? Humans don’t do that.

                “Where does the money come from?” Bucky asks as he takes the vitamins from Tony. Tony stills and looks Bucky over warily.

                “Um… I’m not sure if I should answer that.”

                Those words spear Bucky right through the gut. After so long living in peace and bliss, he relaxed into blind trust that everything in his new life is exactly what it seems. Tony is hiding something from him. Worse than that, someone told Tony not to tell him something. Is this something specific to him or is this a secret from everyone? Who told Tony to not tell him? Peggy? Steve…

                Tony can tell that he’s said something he should not have. “Bucky? You okay buddy? You just kinda… zoned way the fuck out.”

                “Tony.” Bucky says with careful calm. His heart is racing and he’s starting to sweat but he’s keeping his gaze and his voice steady. “Why should you not answer me?”

                The bearded omega takes a deep breath. “It’s really not a big deal! We just don’t want you to freak out and get the wrong idea. Really Bucky, nothing sinister, I promise. It’s just a little complicated and I really shouldn’t be the one to explain it to you.”

                So it’s true. Steve is the one hiding something from him. After everything that they’ve done together Steve is hiding something important from him. Bucky knows it’s important, he just knows. He can react one of two ways: He can throw a fit and demand to be told and maybe never find out what is really going on. Or he can wait.

                “Thanks Tony. Can I have some of that bread too?” He points at a loaf sitting in a basket close to the counter.

                “Yeah…?” Tony’s brow furrows. “Please tell me you aren’t mad or something?”

                “Mad isn’t the right word.” Bucky snatches the bread himself and leaves with the loaf and his vitamins.

.oOo.

                Steve comes back to the den late at night. The hunting trip must have gone long, or at least that was what he would have assumed yesterday. Now he isn’t sure. The alpha lays down and throws an arm over him from behind. He gives his shoulder a kiss.

                “Hi.” Steve greets cheerily.

                Bucky stares ahead into the darkness. He has so many things he wants to say to Steve but alerting him of his suspicions now would only jeopardize his plans.

                “Buck?” Steve takes Bucky’s hand and does the formerly endearing knuckle petting with his thumb. Bucky knows Steve isn’t faking this. They’re bonded, this is real. It’s everything else he’s worried about. Still, in his bitterness he takes his hand away to pillow his head.

                “I’m tired.” He lies.

                “Okay, go to sleep. We can talk tomorrow.” Steve snuggles in behind Bucky, oblivious to the huge shift in his bondmate’s world.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention that I have been planning this really big plot twist this whole time? I've been dropping bread crumbs but I don't think you have enough to put the WHOLE thing together yet. The next couple of chapters will be the first twenty weeks of Bucky's pregnancy and a mystery. No Bucky will not be playing the party of Scooby Doo, more like a killer Velma. 
> 
> I updated despite crazy classes haza! 
> 
> -Trollop


	21. Chapter 21

                The following mornings all feature debilitating morning sickness and lots of naps for the next week. Bucky is forced to brood over his suspicions silently in bed. He’s maintained most of his behaviors with Steve but he’s stayed more emotionally restrained than he’s been in a long time. He makes a lot of excuses about not feeling well. Steve has given him very little alone time since the news of the pregnancy. The alpha keeps hounding him about if he took his vitamins and asking if he wants anything. It’s insufferably endearing and sometimes the omega forgets he’s supposed to have doubts. Other times it’s just insufferable

                Steve shifts next to Bucky so that he can glance over his shoulder at him. The slightly nauseous omega is pretending to be asleep. Bucky wishes he could slip away to do research. He thought morning sickness was supposed to confine itself to the morning. After a week of being cooped up, he’s beginning to wonder what he thought he was going to get out of this. The alpha sits up and rearranges himself so he can lean down and press his ear to Bucky’s stomach. That startles Bucky out of his false sleep.

                “Hey!” Bucky reflexively curls in or himself. Steve pulls away quickly with a guilty look on his face.

                “Sorry! I thought you were sleeping.” He frowns. “Were you faking so you didn’t have to talk to me?” He asks indignantly.

                “No! I was just… sleeping lightly.” Bucky realizes that was an awful lie and so does Steve. “It doesn’t matter.” Bucky shakes his head. “What were you doing?”

                “I was just…” Steve rubs his mouth and chin as he averts his eyes from his bondmate. “I was just being silly.”

                Bucky bites the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling/screaming at him depending on which way his hormones swing. Steve is so cute when he’s caught being whimsical but the adorable way the alpha is acting is still tarnished by Steve not sharing with him. Bucky’s now very sensitive to having information withheld.

                “No.” Bucky tells him sternly. “I want to know. Tell me what you’re doing, don’t leave me in the dark Steve. What was that?”

                Steve looks up at him curiously. Bucky’s tone might have been too serious for such a minor little omission. It’s pretty obvious Bucky is bothered by something. Tony might have even told Steve what happened at the hut last week. Bucky stays calm despite the growing fear that he’s made himself too transparent.

                “It’s really not that important.” Steve chuckles uncomfortably under his breath. “I was trying to hear the pups’ heartbeats. They are big enough to have them now. With our hearing we can pick them up sometimes this early. In about a week, Bruce will even be able to feel how many there are.”

                “Oh…” Bucky’s eyes pop out. He had no idea it was so soon. His earlier irritation disintegrates into the fuzzy feeling he finds himself having whenever he thinks about the babies growing inside him. “Did you hear anything?” He asks a little hopefully.

                “No, I barely set my ear down.” Steve waves it off with a false air of dismissiveness. Bucky can tell Steve really does want to hear.

                “Try again.” Bucky gestures downward with his chin.

                “Alright.” Steve crouches down and positions his ear snuggly against the skin just below his navel. Bucky watches Steve’s face as he listens. Steve’s eyes flick back and forth then he squints and furrows his brow. “Is that…?”

                “What? What is it?” Bucky urges impatiently.

                “It’s very fast, I can’t tell how many there are but it’s definitely something.” Steve smiles as he keeps listening.

                “Really?!” Bucky squeaks with tears in his eyes. His hormones are driving him nuts but at the moment he doesn’t give a damn.

                “Definitely.” Steve reaches out and brushes a tear away from Bucky’s cheek with his thumb. He swings his body around so he can peck Bucky on the lips before reclining on his side facing the omega. He holds eye contact with him and worries his lip. Bucky takes a deep breath. Steve has managed to get him in a position where he can’t pretended to be asleep to avoid conversation. Bucky turns his face away and starts to roll over but Steve catches him by the shoulder. “Don’t do that please. You keep shutting me out and I don’t know why. Are you angry with me?”

                Bucky swallows and twitches his mouth to one side as he reluctantly answers. “I’m not angry. I just feel sick, that’s all.”

                Steve doesn’t believe that at all even if it is partially true. “Okay, I get it.” Steve huffs. “You don’t want to talk about it right now, we don’t have to, but I know you are keeping something from me that’s important.”

                Bucky’s lips are moving before he processes his words. “Likewise!” He snaps. He’s so mad he doesn’t care that he’s practically shoving the problem right under Steve’s nose. He gets up out of their comfy bed and rushes out the tunnel.

                “Bucky!” Steve yells and follows him. “What do you mean?! Why would you say that!? Everything is fine!” Steve insists shrilly with sudden panic. Bucky growls and tears out of the den.

                “Bullshit!” Bucky doesn’t know where he’s going but he’s stomping in the direction of the lookout post so he decides to visit Clint. His now friend and Second Omega should be up there at this time of day. That little platform couldn’t fit the three of them if it comes to that.

                 He gets to the base of the tree and spins to point venomously at Steve. “I’m not going to sit around and let you pet me while you keep trying to worm your way out of trouble! _You_ are hiding something from _me_! I’m not letting you off the hook because you have pretty eyes, soft lips, and all of my affection! Yeah, I’m mad at you! Now fuck off so I can deal with it!”

                Steve stands a few meters away looking stricken. Bucky snorts triumphantly and begins to climb up the ladder to Clint’s lookout post with a little difficulty because of his missing limb. Clint watches him from thirty feet up.

                “Okay then… I guess I’ll see you later.” Steve says dejectedly. “Bye…” He whines.

                “Fuck off Steve!” Bucky hollers at him. Steve flinches and slowly turns tail to go find something non-Bucky-related to do for the first time in a week. He keeps glancing over his shoulder hoping the omega will change his mind and call him back but Bucky only continues to stubbornly climb.

                “So…” Clint calls down to Bucky through the hole in the platform where the ladder leads. His eyebrows are halfway up to his hairline. “I take it that was not puppy related?”

                “No, it wasn’t.” Bucky grunts.

                When he gets to the top, Bucky pulls himself right up onto the platform without breaking a sweat. Clint scoots over so Bucky has room to sit.

                “You sure you should be risking climbing all the way up here with a litter in your belly?” Clint questions again. He has a sling around his chest with four tiny, squirming, fuzzy bodies inside.

                “Are you sure you should be bringing them up here?” Bucky raises an eyebrow.

                Clint pats the sling. “They’re very safe! And they get attention this way. Everybody wins.” Clint sits with his back against the tree while he strokes his puppy’s noses. Bucky smiles at the little tenderness and sits next to Clint.

                “How’d you know about the litter?” Bucky asks as he extends his hand for the pups to sniff. They greet him with licks and squeaky yips. Clint can’t hear most of it but they do make lower noises now too, so occasionally he gets something. He can feel the vibrations from their chests and smell their scents like this. He still doesn’t have everything a mother with hearing would have but he’s still pretty damn imprinted on his pups. The way he pets them now is much tenderer than the way he snatched them from Bucky when they first met.

                “Everybody knows you’re pregnant. That’s all anybody’s been talking about since last week. People want to know what kind of gifts to get you and they ask me for some reason. I tell them to ask Steve. The pack likes to get as involved as possible with the leadership’s litters. I thought it was nuts when it was me, it’s going to be a fucking frenzy when you start showing.”

                “Maybe that’s why Steve asks me if he can get me anything six times a day. I might have actually told him something if I knew the pack was trying to congratulate me.” Bucky snorts.

                “Oh no, he wouldn’t give things to you from somebody else, that would hurt his ego. Watch, he’s going to get very territorial in a couple of weeks. Nobody will be allowed to give you things directly, he’ll want to inspect anything you eat, he’ll want to know where you are at all times and who with, and nobody will be allowed to touch you unless he says so and you’re okay with it.” Clint smirks. “That last one’s a real problem when people want to rub your belly all the time.”

                “Right.” Bucky puffs. Steve is a dead man if he thinks he’s going to put up with that shit.

                “So since you’ve involved me and I’m bored as fuck, why do you think Steve’s hiding something from you?” Clint asks boldly.

                “Tony wouldn’t tell me where the money comes from because he was told not to. Tony doesn’t listen to anybody about anything unless it’s important and even then not always. So whatever it is, it’s big.” Bucky pauses and watches for Clint’s reaction. Clint’s face is impassive, sympathetic maybe. He knows. Clint scratches his pups’ as he considers what to say. “There is other stuff too. Bruce was once a human, he was experimented on like I was but not the same as me. How did he find us if he wasn’t one of us? And then there’s Pepper, she smelled like human. If she’s an ambassador between the packs, why isn’t she here more often? It doesn’t make sense.”

                Clint nods a couple of times. The little red pup, one of the three boys, is trying to climb out of the sling. He’s stepping on his brother and sister’s heads with his little paws and pushing to try and wriggle free.

                “Would you take him, he’s making trouble?” Clint offers. Bucky looks from mother to straining pup.

                “You’re sure…?” Bucky checks. He doesn’t want Clint to hate him for another three months.

                “Yes Bucky, I’m sure you aren’t going to steal my babies.” Clint sasses with a scoff.

                Bucky happily take the red pup. A little pull is all the assistance he needs to escape. He happily licks Bucky as the omega cradles him in the crook of his arm against his chest.The baby stretches his neck up so he can get to Bucky's chin. Bucky chuckles as he pets the pup's head. His little ears flop back each time. His three siblings in the sling look on enviously until Clint plops big kisses onto each of their heads. They imitate the way their red brother licked Bucky on their mother.

                Bucky watches the interaction and feels the fuzzy feeling again. In just a couple of months he’s going to have his own litter to spoil. The pup against his chest has balled up for a nap. Bucky knows this thing that Clint is doing is a ploy but he still appreciates the gesture. If it wasn’t for the ‘sample pup’ this situation would be far more stressful.

               “You’re trying to butter me up before you tell me something bad, aren’t you?” Bucky sighs.

               “You want me to tell you there is a big dark conspiracy and everything you think is right in the world is actually part of some kind of plan to breed you up and recapture you? Because that’s not what’s going on here. They have tried that before but they’ve never recaptured an adult wolf from us.” The fuzzy feeling is gone, he feels like his insides are frozen. “They have good ones and bad ones just like us. You’ve already met the bad ones and so have I.” Bucky clutches the sleeping pup a bit tighter. “I lost my hearing fighting against the people who hurt you. I wasn’t alone. Natasha, Phil, Sam, and Steve have all been involved for a long time. This isn’t ancient times anymore, we can’t just run from them or kill them all. We have to cooperate. You wanna know the whole story? Go to the furthest hut on the east side of the settlement, walk a mile east into the woods down a bank. You’ll find a river. Walk south along the bank for two miles and you’ll find a boat moored to a tree. Can you start an engine?”

                “Yes.” Bucky answers breathlessly.

                “Go down stream until you find a dock. It will take a few hours to get there so you have to give yourself time. If you go tomorrow and arrive at the dock at dusk, you’ll meet a human that will give you all your answers. You have to go before Tony leaves or he'll take the boat before you. Just promise me, don’t eat the human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yesterday was a good day! I was freaking out about my first physics test but then I checked tumblr and found out OhCaptainMyCaptain rec'd this fic and 'Bucky Get's his heat' on her latest red list. This is a big deal to me, don't laugh. I got started in this ship reading her work so to end up on her list of fics meant to introduce people to parts of this fandom is very satisfying. 
> 
> Look babies! :D Fuzzy wuzzy blubber bees awwwwwwww!!!
> 
> -The Trollop


	22. Chapter 22

                “I don’t understand why you’re doing this!?” Steve pleads even as he helps Bucky carry bedding to The First Omega’s hut where Bucky has decided to sleep tonight.

                “I said I wanted alone time. Why is that so hard to wrap your head around?” Bucky tells him for the fifth or sixth time since he told Steve about his new sleeping arrangements. Steve is extremely bad at giving him space but good for carrying things which is why Bucky has allowed him to help. Bucky arranges the blankets and padding in a nest where he plans to sleep in a corner of the hut. Steve sets down an armful more of blankets that Bucky knows he told Steve to leave in the den. “Hey! Those are yours!” He snaps.

                “I want you to have them.” Steve arranges them in Bucky’s nest so Bucky has more room to spread out. “If you’re refusing to sleep in _our home_ you are at least going to be comfortable where you are.”

                “I will be comfortable with what I have!” Bucky tries to undo what Steve is doing as Steve continues to do it.

                “You sprawl like nobody I’ve ever seen. I don’t want you to wake up and realize half of you is on the hard dirt.” Steve pushes Bucky’s hands away as the alpha keeps trying to make the nest bigger.

                “What about you? You barely have any bedding at all! How are you supposed to sleep tonight!?” Bucky argues.

                “I’m not going to be able to sleep with you out here anyways, so don’t worry about me.” That of course makes Bucky feel terrible.

                After listening to Clint talk he’s certain that he is not going to like whatever it is he finds out tomorrow, he’s already terrified at the prospect of meeting a human again, but Steve is only hiding things that any sane person would hide from someone as traumatized as him. He isn’t angry at Steve for that. Clint also said that Steve fought against the people who hurt him. Bucky doesn’t know what that means exactly, but it already feels like a comfort. Steve has been keeping a lot from him but he’s been doing it for the right reasons. He’s not avoiding their den that night because he’s angry with Steve, he’s avoiding him because he knows he won’t be able to slip out in the morning with Steve curled up around him.

                “Hey.” Bucky lays the palm of his hand on Steve’s cheek. Steve instantly nuzzles it and whimpers sadly for more of Bucky’s affection. Bucky sometimes forgets he’s not the only one swimming in hormone soup. Steve has a whole new genre of instincts to pester him now and Bucky is denying him most of them. “It’s going to be okay. Just one night is all I need.” He’d like to tell Steve he’s not being punished but that’s the whole pretense of why he’s doing this. Alleviating Steve’s ‘consequences’ would take away his only reasonable excuse to be away from him when Bucky himself very much would prefer to be in their den.

                “I don’t like this.” Steve scowls in frustration .

                “I know.” And he’s very sorry to do this to him, but he needs his answers. “If I keep the blankets will you feel better?”

                “Yes.” Steve croaks.

                “Okay, then I’ll keep them.” Bucky nods and stands up. He has to pull Steve a little to get him to leave the nest. “Really? Are you going to be a stubborn dog about this?!”

                “I’m telling you I’ve done nothing wrong! You don’t have to do this!” Steve pleads. He’s standing but he has his feet planted inside the hut.

                “All I’m asking for is one night!” Bucky moves to his side and pushes. Steve yields when it becomes obvious he’s unwanted. Once he’s outside he fixes Bucky with the saddest, most pathetic look Bucky has seen in his life. Bucky sighs and wishes there was some other way. He leans forward and gives Steve a kiss. Steve pulls him close and desperately tries to convey his sorrow with little pecks and whines between longer drawn out kisses.

                Bucky realizes he’s probably giving Steve false hope at this point. He’s kept kissing him for almost a minute. He needed this too though. The omega presses their lips together one more time then pulls his head away when Steve tries to follow. Bucky can see the exact moment when Steve’s hope shatters.

                “That was a goodnight kiss. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Bucky lets go of his bondmate and puts his hand on the door. Steve very reluctantly backs out of the doorway.

                “Goodnight Buck, I love you…” Steve tells him quietly.

                “I love you too Stevie…” He’s about to say I’ll see you in the morning but that’s more false hope he doesn’t want to give Steve. The whole point of this is for Bucky not to be there in the morning. He closes the door feeling like he should have said more but not being able to think of what.

.oOo.

                The next morning before the sun has come up, Bucky leaves a sign on the hut door that says ‘Do not Disturb’ and quietly leaves the settlement. Hopefully the sign will keep Steve at bay for at least a few hours. He’s going to take measures against being tracked anyway. Instead of going directly east, he heads north for two miles before moving eastward. At approximately eight in the morning his stomach protests all this moving around violently. Bucky throws up into a rabbit hole for fifteen minutes before he can force himself onward. He covers the hole once he’s done. He makes it a fair distance before his nausea wins again, this time into the river once he arrives at the bank.

.oOo.

                This is probably all his damn fault, Tony thinks. Then again, how was he supposed to know Bucky understood the human monetary system? They still know almost nothing about how Bucky lived for all those years being tortured, maybe he saw some people playing cards or something, Tony could only guess. Tony keeps trying to rationalize why he should have known better than to stir all this up but he can’t get the image of Steve being pathetic out of his head. He feels guilty. He should have just told Bucky when he got suspicious, that way this could all have been resolved the day of. When Tony left the settlement, Steve was moping outside The First Omega’s hut and Bucky was refusing to answer him for some reason.

                What would he even have told Bucky? Sure he knows the system but he doesn’t know so much about the people who captured Bucky. Unlike Steve, Sam, Clint, Natasha, and Phil, Tony was never a fighter. His major contributions to keeping their species from being exploited by the human race are mostly in the form of science and weapons tech. Tony, also known as Tony Stark in the human world, has three PHD’s and a masters in engineering. He’s the brainy one out of their ‘in the loop group’, that doesn’t mean he gets to know all of the gritty shit about the things Steve and the others did. Tony knows they killed evil humans for the humans so they didn’t hurt their kind, other than that the details are scant. Tony didn’t know them during that time of their lives. None of them like to talk about what they did. Bucky might have liked to have known that part but Tony couldn’t tell him about what their kind does to fight the good fight against ‘Hydra’, as the bastard poachers call themselves. Honestly, as long as all of that stays far away from the pack, which so far it has, Tony doesn’t feel the need to learn about them. It’s one of the very few things in life he isn’t curious about.

                Tony has never felt the call to battle. It’s probably because he’s never had an incident in life that made it real for him. It’s all hypothetical and thus, not really serious to him. He stays away from humans and Hydra as a result. He only spends a total of a month a year in human civilization. He’d spend more time hanging out in his mansion but human kind is so generally unpleasant to be around he can’t take it. He goes back to his pack within a matter of days. The only reason he visits at all is for supplies and to see the love of his life, Pepper.

                Now there is a topic a guy could dwell on, he thinks to himself as he drives the atv they keep in a special storage shed. He’ll need the atv to haul back all of the things he’s going to bring back tomorrow. He’s quickly approaching the dock now, he’ll be there in only a minute. Then it’s a sort boat ride, a meet up with one of the only humans he likes, and then it’s Pepper time.

                The good ‘impending Pepper’ feeling evaporates the moment he sees who is waiting for him at the dock.

.oOo.

                Steve has paced around the hut so many times he’s worn a path in the hard dirt. Every time he passes the door he wines. It’s taken all of his willpower to only call out to Bucky three times. He wants to cry. His instincts are in an uproar in equal measure to the pain in his heart. He can’t stand having Bucky angry with him. Bucky’s happiness comes first and foremost, he’ll suffer if that’s what Bucky needs to happen but this isn’t suffering; This is torture.

                The pack has taken notice. After four hours, Sam has had enough. He walks up to the hut and bangs on the door.

                “Bucky, it’s time to let Steve in now. He’s losing it. This really isn’t cool anymore, Steve needs to be with you man. You’re his bondmate and you’re pregnant, this is actually hurting him he’s not just a whiner.” Sam knocks aggressively again. Steve is at his side looking from Sam to the door frantically. Sam frowns and tries the handle. It’s not locked.

                “What…?” Sam opens the door. Steve inhales harshly in horror. The hut is empty. He rushes inside to make sure, desperately hoping he’s wrong.

                “Bucky! Bucky! Sweetheart where are you?! Bucky!” He cries. He’s hyperventilating as he tears through the nest which obviously couldn’t hide the omega. He picks up the blankets and smells them to calm himself down enough to think. Bucky’s scent is the only balm he’s going to get until he has his bondmate back. He doesn’t even know where to look.

.oOo.

                “Steve is going to eviscerate me!” Tony scrubs his face with his hands as he sits in the boat headed down stream. Bucky is driving the boat behind him. The omega appears to be deeply focused on the horizon but actually he’s just trying hard not to vomit. “Who told you where to find the boat?!” Tony finally asks after ten minutes of commiserating about the end of his life.

                “I have a source but I’m not telling.” Bucky clears his throat.

                “If you’re going to be sick, at least let me drive.” Tony offers.

                “No, don’t want you to turn the boat ar-ound.” Bucky gags a little at the end.

                “Please, I’m not taking you back until as late as possible. They’re going to think I did this and then-!”

                “You’re dead I get it.” Bucky decelerates the boat and clumsily climbs around Tony to the side. He yacks into the water just in time not to make a mess in the boat.

                “And this is why I never had pups.” Tony mutters as he sits down where Bucky was. “Can we go or do you need a break?”

                Bucky pulls his head up and slumps down into the boat with a quiet groan. “Keep going…” He grimaces.

                “Don’t worry buddy, it’s just around this bend. Now when you see my friend, don’t attack.”

                “He’s your _friend_?” Bucky can’t even fathom being friends with such evil creatures.

                “Yes, he is.” Tony says matter-of-factly. “I’ve known him since I was in college. He was a football player and I was his physics tutor. You have no idea what half of the words in that sentence mean.” Tony thinks aloud.

                “No, I don’t.” Bucky frowns. “Should I?”

                “Nah, the point is, he’s an old friend. I got him this job and if you eat him, I will be indirectly responsible for his death.”

                Bucky hums, acknowledging he understands. “Just as long as he doesn’t try to put a shock collar on me, Taser me, threaten me with a gun, put me in a cage, or call me a bitch, we’ll be good.”

                Tony bites his lip, shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath before responding. “If Happy did any of those things to you, I’d kill him myself. Don’t worry, he would _never_ even think to do _any_ of that.”

                Bucky is still afraid. He doesn’t think he’ll ever lose the fear. How could he after everything that’s been done to him? Bucky can’t see over the side of the boat because of the way he’s lying but he feels when the boat slows then coasts after the engine turns off.

                “Hi yah Happy!” Tony yells in the human language called English and waves. The boat taps the side of the dock, stirring the boat. Bucky clutches onto a seat and a life jacket. He can smell the human. He regrets this, he shouldn’t have come. This was a bad idea, he can’t handle this.

                “Tony!” The human calls. Bucky sees him lean over the boat and start tying it to the dock. This is his first glimpse of him. He’s a big man but with extra fat in some places. Were his a face on one of his species, he’d say it is a kind one.  “How you been –oh!” The human looks at Bucky curiously. “Well hi there! What’s your name?”

                “Happy, meet Bucky. Don’t be shocked if he’s not chatty. He’s terrified of you.” Tony explains as he hops out of the boat.

                “Why?!” Happy holds out his hands and makes a funny face.

                “Uuuuuuhhh…” Tony isn’t sure how much to tell Happy. “He doesn’t like humans, let’s leave it at that.”

                “Oh well, you’ve probably just never met a friendly one.” Happy beams. “We can fix that. Come on out of there and we’ll fix you up with a nice snack. Would you like a snack? I’ve got a candy bar and a coke from my lunch, you look like you need it more than me. Wanna try?”

                He appears perfectly innocuous but humans have given him drugged food before. Bucky looks warily from Tony to the human. Tony pats Happy on the shoulder.

                “Let me eat some first so he knows it’s not poisoned.” Tony says understandingly.

                “Jesus Christ! What do you do to people in the settlements?!” Happy exclaims and heads away presumably to his car. Bucky shifts a little so he can see where he’s going. There is a car parked away from the dock in some kind of gravel covered waiting area.

                The human comes back with a blue and white plastic box with a handle. He opens it and pulls out a red metal can and a brown plastic wrapper with red and white letters on it. Bucky can’t read human but he understand the language well. The Happy human gives the can and the plastic thing to Tony. Tony opens them casually like he’s done it a thousand times. He takes a bite of a brown bar thing and then sips the drink. He swallows and makes a content ‘yum’ noise.

                “Why will Steve not let me bring this shit back?” Tony complains. He squats down and holds the food out for Bucky. “Take this before I eat it all.”

                Bucky takes it gingerly and gives each item a curious sniff. It smells good. Happy human and Tony motion for him to try it. He licks the brown thing experimentally. His eyebrows jump up. What is this made out of?! He takes a bite and moans in pleasure.

                Tony was right about one thing so far, some human stuff is amazing. He wants a whole box full of these things in his den.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while it would have been interesting for the first human Bucky meets to be Nick Fury, he's not quite the 'friendly face' Bucky needed to see to relax a little. I chose the least threatening character in the marvel cinematic universe to be Bucky's first 'nice human' encounter. It also made sense because he has a relationship with Tony in the canon that would lend nicely too the role I want him to play in this. Also lets be real, 'delivery guy' is a bit below Nick's pay grade. Why Clint thought Happy was the guy to talk to has to do with his affable personality and his central role in the pack's relationship with an unnamed organization *cough* who the fuck do you think? *cough*. Next chapter will have more answers, finally! Also note the first religious related swear so far! It's been hard to use only secular swears because they don't have the same monotheist background. Idk if anybody noticed, but it's a thing. 
> 
> Now to do about six hours of fucking physics homework. BTW I passed my physics test with a B! Yippie!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention I like a little intrigue with my fluff and smut? 
> 
> Fuck have so much homework. How is this even real? 
> 
> -The Trollop

                Bucky ate his first candy bar in a flash. Once it was gone, he sorely wished he hadn’t. He should have tried to savor it, he’ll probably never get another. He mourns it’s loss even as the taste still lingers.

                “You’re sure Steve won’t let us have those?” Bucky asks wishfully as he sits down on the dock.

                “Bucky…” Tony sighs and sits down on the dock next to the pregnant omega. “There is nothing he wouldn’t give you. We’ll bring back a shit ton and he’ll cave in like two seconds, don’t even worry.” Tony tells him while he gives Bucky a comforting pat on the back.  “You feel better now?”

                “A little.” Bucky still eyes Happy human suspiciously from the other side of Tony but he’s ceased to cower which is a big improvement.

                “I’m glad.” The human says with a satisfied nod. “But if you’re so afraid of humans, why’d you come here?” Happy asks.

                “I want to know why...” That’s the first time Bucky’s ever directly answered a human in his life. The humans who held him captive didn’t realize he could speak. He never pleaded with them, even when he was just a pup. Bucky is having a hard time formulating his exact question. Things are being hidden from him, he’s certain of that, but how does he ask what he doesn’t know? There is one question he’s had buzzing around in his head for a week. He steels himself for the next leap of autonomy in front of the human, the big one. “Why are you helping us?” It doesn’t make sense to him. Why would this human bring them supplies if the rest of the human species wants only to torture and subjugate them for use as weapons? Do the other humans know they’re being betrayed? Is this human at risk for helping them?

                Happy human studies Bucky in an equal measure of confusion. “Why am I helping Tony? Well I’ve known him for twenty five years! He’s my friend so I help him. This also happens to be my part time job.” He laughs nervously. Bucky doesn’t know what a ‘part time job’ is. “But that’s only because Tony found somebody to pay me for it.” He totally missed the point of Bucky’s question.

                The omega nips his lower lip as he thinks. “So you do this for Tony, not for our kind?”

“No not totally. I mean, I started doing it for him but it’s for all of you guys too.” Happy answers with a noncommittal shrug.

“But you do it against your species’ wishes?” Bucky clarifies. He needs to know how far up this discord amongst the human agenda goes. Clint made it sound like there is a whole organization, can that really be? Who is it that Steve worked with?

                “Ha!” Happy claps his hands together. The movement makes Bucky flinch. “Against my wife’s wishes maybe, but not my ‘species’! Most humans don’t know about you guys, we keep you all a big secret.” Happy tells him. Bucky’s confused scowl depends and his brows contort together into a crease. His instincts are on high alert again. If only a small number of humans know, this human and the ones that hurt him must be from the same group. Bucky is lunging to scramble away when Tony clutches onto his shoulders to keep him still.

                “Woah! Easy, easy you’re okay!” Tony is about to get an elbow to the face when Happy human cuts in.

                “The only ones who know are the ones I work for and these other guys…” Happy pauses considering whether to mention them at all. “But they’re all neo-Nazi maniacs. You don’t need to worry about them. We protect you guys from them as best we can.” Happy beams proudly. “The government has declared you an endangered species. That’s why we gave you guys this great big forest all to yourselves! Those bastards can’t find you guys in there because it’s top secret and because we patrol and do satellite imaging. No bad humans are going to get yah! You’re perfectly safe, don’t worry.” Happy declares triumphantly.

                Bucky’s mouth drops open in shock. _Safe_? He was supposed to have been _safe_? He was under the protective eye of the government when he was snatched from his home as a child. He somehow managed to slip through the patrolled boarders when he was being dragged away in a net with his arm still caught in that horrible _thing_! All of the years he was kept in a cage exactly three paces of his lupine form wide, he was supposed to have been obliviously comfortable in his own private sanctuary. His eyes have grown huge and watery. He turns his head downward and rubs at his eyes under a veil of his hair. His back shudders a few times. Happy human looks at Tony for an explanation.

                “Happy.” Tony fixes him with his most potent death stare. Tony tries to find the words but he winds up just exhaling scornfully.

                Bucky clutches at his stomach. He wants Steve. He wants his alpha, his home, his bondmate to hold him and tell him that what the Happy human says really is the true. What happened to him was a fluke, a once in a million slip up that has since been corrected. That will _never_ happen to their pups. It’s simply not possible. The panicking omega looks around at the woods. “This forest? What do you mean you gave it to us to keep us safe?”

                “It’s a protected area so we’re not supposed to go in there.” The human pauses. “Hey, I’m sorry.” Happy does really look remorseful. “I don’t know what I said. I just wanted you to know-.”

                “WE ARE NOT SAFE!” Bucky screams at him in feral rage. He takes several heaving breaths before he’s able to calm down. His eyes dart everywhere as his fear and anger become more manageable. Tony and Happy stay stunned while they wait. Bucky licks his dry lips before he finally continues. “It’s not true, they take our young if we let them stray. The humans take us and they either use us for experiments or they try to train us for their purposes. If you stay alive long enough, they’ll do both. They did both to me. They took pieces of me to study and they forced me to kill the humans they wanted dead.”

                 “God in heaven…” Happy gulps and averts his eyes from the traumatized omega. He sets his fist down hard on the wood of the dock next to his thigh. “Tony, you were supposed to tell us if you found him.”

                 There is a moment when Bucky’s heart completely stops and he accepts he’s about to be recaptured. Images of his pups in little cages beside him disappearing one by one quickly convince him of the right course of action. He’ll kill or be killed before it comes to that.

                 “We’ve had rescue teams searching everywhere down the eastern seaboard trying to find him for you guys!”

                 Bucky flinches again. “You were trying to… rescue me?” Bucky asks, his chin trembles as he tries to fight off sobbing.

                 “Yeah! More intensely since that facility suddenly popped up with everybody dead inside but before that too! We’ve been trying to rescue you for fifteen years!” Happy tells him with a sigh of relief. “Our people have tracked you everywhere you’ve shown up since you were captured but we’re always just a few weeks behind you. All this time there’s only been one sure way to find Hydra, you! We’ve sent in our guys, your guys, everybody we can! Ask your First Alpha! He used to lead our strike team for a few years before things got bad in your settlement and he had to take control. He wouldn’t have quit if that bastard Pierce hadn’t of been exposed! Pierce was working with Hydra, giving your pups to them for some kind of screwy plot they all had.” Happy waves it off. “It’s a long, long horrible story.” He chuckles. “And I can’t believe I’m the chump that gets to finally tell the boss the happy end of it!” He nudges Tony. “We thought he was dead! We were looking for a body to bury. Why didn’t you guys tell us you found him?” 

                 “Steve didn’t want anybody to say anything, you know, in case Bucky didn’t want the US government to known he’s still around. Steve didn’t want a bunch of suits to show up and interrogate him or something.” Tony explains like he’s had enough of this.

                 “Why so protective? You’re not his mate or something are you?” Happy jokes. His pleased smile fades to awe when Bucky glances down at his stomach and stays quiet.

                 “Uh…” Tony smacks his lips and raises both eyebrows. “Yeah, he’s his _bondmate_ and Bucky is ‘expecting’ to boot. So, we should probably load up the boat and send him home before Steve skins anyone alive.” Tony looks back and from between the men on his sides. “Just a thought.”

.oOo.

An hour earlier…

                 Steve cradles a blanket that smells like Bucky to his chest for comfort as he stares down the line up of people who could be responsible for this mess. Natasha, Sam, Clint, Phil, Chester, Brock, and Peggy are all possible suspects.

                 “Alright. I don’t care who told him what, I just need to know what you told him so I can find him.”

                 “I’m calling bullshit. You’re going to maim whoever did this.” Sam says shaking his head.

                 “This isn’t mating season anymore Sam, I’m not going to go berserk.” Steve argues calmly. His hands are shaking under the blanket.

                 “He’s whelping, you’re going to go a whole new kind of berserk!” Chester scoffs. “You don’t know he left because someone told him something. He could have just wanted some space.” The elder suggests.

                 “He wouldn’t…” Steve exhales shakily. “He would tell me if he wanted space. He knows I would at least try to give it to him. He likes our den, he feels safe there. If anything he’d kick _me_ out. So whatever made him leave had to be something that would make him not trust us. So what did you tell him?” He gives them all an intimidating glare.

                 “What would we have told him about?” Phil asks with his arms crossed. “We’ve done everything we can to suit his needs.”

                 “He doesn’t trust humans. If he found out that we work with them, he might spook.” Steve answers. “It doesn’t have to be much. It could have been anything, he’s very smart and he knows a lot more about humans than most of us.”

                 “Why is Tony not here?” Peggy asks. “He’s good friends with Bucky, he might have accidentally said too much.”

                 Steve growls and squeezes the blanket firmly between his fingers. “He’s on a supply run.” Steve perks up suddenly, realizing he might have his answer. “Bucky could be with him!” He ties the small blanket into a loop and sets it on the ground. He shifts over into lupine form and wiggles his nose under the loop of the blanket until it's over his head, then around his neck. Peggy ties it snuggly in place.

                 “You’re going to the dock?” She asks. Steve nods vigorously then takes off at top speed.

                 Sam slowly nods with an appraising look on his face as he watches him disappear. “So… Tony’s dead.” He remarks.

                 “Poor bastard.” Clint comments. “I would have come clean but my pups need a mother.” The omega shrugs. The group slowly looks at him with a variety of reactions ranging from shocked to blasé.

                 “What did you tell him?” Phil asks with interest. He doesn’t find this turn of events surprising. Natasha is equally resigned to her mate’s life choices.

                 “Like, as little as I possibly could and where to find Happy.” Clint tells them unremorsefully.

                 “Happy?” Phil raises an eyebrow. “Happy couldn’t know more than maybe a fourth of what actually happened.”

                 “Yeah.” Clint snorts. “You really think I’d send Bucky off to go learn about the _really_ fucked up shit without Steve? Bucky’s going to go bonkers when he finds out what they’ve been doing with the tissue they took. I wouldn’t do that to him.”

                 “Good man.” Sam sighs with relief. “He doesn’t need that right now.”

                 “He doesn’t need that ever.” Peggy asserts. "What he needs now is all the love and support we can give him as he starts his new life with Steve. We agreed he needs peace more than he needs the truth. He's going to have a hard enough time becoming a mother and First Omega."

                 " Yeah, but this is all still fucked up." Sam curses in distaste. He's not in support of hiding things from Bucky. 

                 "Well nobody is denying that." Peggy rolls her eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Gratuitous fluffy cuddles.

          Bucky doesn’t need to ask any more questions as they load the cargo onto the boat. He’s got enough information to assure him that the pack isn’t in danger or a danger to him and the pups, that’s all he wanted. His answers are still at odds with what he’s come to know over his previous expose to humans, but he thinks he might eventually be able to reconcile these two very different views. He and Tony wait an hour for Happy to drive to a store and back to get Bucky as many of those candy bars as they have. It turns dark while Happy’s gone but it doesn’t bother them, their night vision is as good as their day vision. Happy returns with a whole box of different types of candy for Bucky. The omega is very pleased.

           He reclines in his seat while Tony drives the boat upstream towards home. Bucky admires the bank as he sits silently. He only moves to push the hair out of his eyes when the wind blows it in his face. The box of candy bars sits in his lap.

           Out of nowhere, Steve comes bursting out of the bushes on the bank. Bucky startles at the suddenness of his presence.  The wind was blowing the wrong way for him to catch his scent. The alpha barks when he sees him, he charges into the river without hesitation.

           “Stevie!” Bucky sets the box to the side. “No! Stay on the shore we’ll come to you!” The current is strong and he’s worried Tony might hit him with the boat.

           “On it!” Tony decelerates and steers towards shore. Steve whines and huffs with his head above water as he desperately paddles towards Bucky. Bucky thinks about jumping in too but the water is too deep where they are. Bucky can’t swim well because of his missing limb and lack of practice. Tony carefully maneuvers them away from Steve. The alpha refuses to backtrack until he’s certain Bucky is coming to shore he’s making it hard for Tony to keep him away. “Stay away from the boat!” Bucky tells him. Luckily Steve is down stream of the so he’s not getting pushed into them. He kicks and pulls alongside the hull at a safe distance, unwilling to go completely to shore without Bucky. Bucky jumps out of the boat when he’s in water only as deep as his knees.

             Steve dashes through the water crying and whining like a pup. Bucky gets down on his knees and hugs Steve’s neck when the big wolf bumps into him. He throws a paw over Bucky’s shoulder and licks him everywhere. His tail tucks between his legs. The alpha snuffles at his bondmate as he licks.

             Bucky takes hold of his ear to gently center him with his one hand. “Hey…” He nuzzles into the opposite side of Steve’s face so that his hold has some symmetry. “Why are you so upset?” Bucky asks while he pets behind Steve’s ear. The alpha puffs a couple of times as he savors Bucky’s presence then backs up to shift.

             “So do you want me to drop this stuff off and come back for you guys, or what?” Tony asks.

             “It’s alright, just wait a second then we can all go.” Bucky tells him.

             Steve cracks his neck and clears his throat to reorientation his vocal cords. Bucky is surprised to see how angry he is.

             “What do you mean ‘why am I upset’?!” Steve demands. He grips Bucky’s shoulders. “Bucky, you disappeared! I thought you were running away! What happened?! Why did you go?! Why did you do that to me?! I’ve never felt so awful in my whole life! Bucky!” Steve pulls him close and cradles his head to his neck. He inhales several heaving lungful’s of Bucky’s scent before he calms a little. Bucky pets Steve’s shoulder soothingly.

             “I wasn’t running away.” Bucky frowns, he doesn’t understand how Steve could have thought something so impossible. “I just had to find some answers and I couldn’t figure out why you wouldn’t tell me yourself.”

             Steve kisses Bucky’s bond bite several times then draws his head back just far enough so he can look at Bucky. “That’s not fair. You scared me. You have no idea what I thought had happened. You didn’t leave a note or tell anybody what was going on, what did you think I was going to assume?” Steve kisses Bucky’s forehead and holds him close again. “I don’t know whether to be furious or forgive you instantly because you’re still with me.” Steve shakes his head. His words are muffled because he refuses to stop kissing Bucky’s face and neck.

             “You thought I left you?” Bucky strokes Steve’s nape softly. “Stevie… I wouldn’t do that.” The thought alone is repulsive. “Ever!” Bucky kisses Steve on the temple in return. “Why would you even think…you’re my bondmate! I’m whelping your litter, how could I leave with your pups?”

             “I don’t know!” Steve sobs and squeezes him tighter. “That’s why I was so confused, I didn’t know what you were doing! Maybe you were angry or worse you’d been stolen away! Bucky I had no idea, I was just so scared.”

              Bucky holds Steve while the alpha gets himself together. Bucky messes with the fringe of the blanket tied around Steve’s neck as he gives him time. They haven’t moved from where they kneel in the river water. It’s not quite warm but they don’t mind. Steve has his face pressed into Bucky’s neck where he feels stable.

              “I’m sorry.” Bucky quietly tells his bondmate. “I didn’t think.” He smiles weakly. “How was I supposed to know to leave a note? It’s not like I’ve got much practice.”

               Steve growls in frustration. “Don’t you claim ignorance on this one. We’re going to talk to about this a lot more but for now…” He sighs. “I just want to go home and cuddle.”

               Bucky bites his lip to keep from laughing. “Okay, we can do that.” Steve pulls Bucky gently to his feet. Bucky wraps his arm around Steve’s waist as the pair gets back in the boat. They sit on the floor together so they don’t throw the watercraft off balance. Tony wordlessly gets them underway again once the couple has settled. It’s starting to get cooler now that night has set in. Bucky fits himself right up against Steve with his cheek resting on Steve’s shoulder. The alpha takes off the blanket he had tied around his neck and wraps it around his bondmate. Bucky hums approvingly of it. Steve sets his chin on top of Bucky’s head and sighs again in exhaustion.

.oOo.

                Steve and Bucky helped Tony unload the food into the supply hut. Steve didn’t notice Bucky’s box until the omega carried it home. The omega doesn’t open it until they’re back in their den to avoid someone seeing and getting jealous.

                Steve frowns at the sugary snacks when he sees them. Bucky sorts through his goodies until he finds one like he had earlier. He careful peels off the wrapper and lays down by Steve in their bed. Steve is lying on his side with his head propped up on his bent elbow.

                “You got treats huh?” Steve observes.

                “Yep.” Bucky takes a bite unrepentantly.

                “Those aren’t good for you.” Steve tells him sternly.

                Bucky chuckles. “Who cares, I’m going to get fat anyway.”

                Steve stares at him for a second before his meaning sets in. Steve visibly melts when he gets it. He slumps forward and hugs onto Bucky. “It’s not fair. You know exactly how to play me and I can’t do anything about it.”

                Bucky takes another bite of his sugary treat. “So I can keep them?” He asks with a certain, satisfied grin.

                “Yes you can keep them. Just hide them from everybody else, I don’t want everyone to know how weak I am.”

                “You’re hardly weak…” Bucky is reminded of the things Happy human told him about Steve. “You could have told me you looked for me.”

                Steve considers how to proceed before cautiously responding. “I didn’t know it was you at the time. I knew Hydra was using one of our kind to assassinate their enemies who were our allies.”

                Bucky nods solemnly. “You thought I was dead?”

                Steve swallows. “I had always hoped you were alive but I knew it was probably impossible.” Steve strokes Bucky’s cheek with his thumb. “The day you came home I thought maybe we were wrong about you being captured by Hydra. That was our best explanation for so long but when I saw you that day I just couldn’t believe it anymore. Until you explained what happened, I was desperately hoping to be wrong.”

                “You knew what they did to me?” Bucky purses his lips and looks away.

                “We knew some things about a person they called ‘The Asset’. They destroyed most of the information about you before we could find it. We had an idea based on the others…” Steve clenches his eyes shut. “Did you ever see the others?”

                Bucky heard them sometimes. They were mostly frightened pups. He’s tried so hard not to think of them but those sounds have survived everything that’s been done to his memory. “I don’t want to talk about them.” Bucky rolls over and presses himself against Steve so the alpha is a solid presence against his back. He feels safe like this. He so often feels vulnerable with his back exposed but never with Steve spooned against him like a warm, comforting wall. Steve wraps his arm over Bucky and snuggles his face against Bucky’s neck.

                “We don’t ever have to talk about this unless you decide you want to. I never told you about it because I was afraid you’d take it the wrong way and leave. I don’t think I’ll be able to be sane if you disappear again.” He softly tells his bondmate.

                “I’m not going anywhere Stevie.” Bucky decides to use his powers of manipulation for the forces of good. He’s had enough truth and retrospection for a while. “Me and the pups.” Bucky takes Steve’s hand and holds it against his stomach.

                Steve, overcome by warm affection, whines loudly into Bucky’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now back to our regularly scheduled fluffy nonsense. Next chapter will be summer and some stuff that was inspired by my cultural anthropology class. My professor is an expert on Peruvian weaving so I've decided to incorporate some weaving into this story. Lol, guess what they're going to use for for hair? XD Hehehehe!
> 
> Your comments give me life. Really you guys, so much love. I mean, I could do nothing but sleep in my free time, or I could sacrifice a few hours to update. You guys are the reason I update. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	25. Summer

**Summer**         

               “He’s been acting lethargic all day and he keeps licking my hand like he wants something but I can’t figure it out!” The panicked omega mother tells Bucky. Her name is Sue and she’s struggling with her pup who’s been acting funny today. It’s now the time of year mothers dread. Pups typically shift for the first time in the summer which means everyone in the pack is watching their young for any signs of strange behavior.

                Bucky picks up the pup. He whimpers despite Bucky’s gentle grip. Bucky observes him for a few seconds before setting him down again. The First Omega wears a serious looks of concentration as he takes three fingers and pushes down on the pup’s stomach. 

                The pup promptly belches and farts at the same time for an alarming duration. The pup’s foul expulsions sink up Bucky’s hut. The First Omega’s nose wrinkles but the mother squeals with delight when the pup begins wagging his tail happily. He gets off his back and scampers towards her.

                “Oh! Oh thank you so much! Poor dear! I tried that four times and it didn’t work!” Sue gushes. Bucky opens the door and wafts the smell outside.

                “Have you been feeding him more than usual lately?” Bucky asks.

                Sue seems reluctant to answer. “Maybe I’ve been doing a bit too much.” She sighs and holds her son close. “I just really want him to be a bit bigger before he tries to shift. I know he’s only a few ounces off of being a safe weight, but I just can’t stop thinking I have to do more.”

                Bucky nods understandingly. Peggy has taught him that pups should weigh ten pounds before they try to shift, they don’t normally weigh that much until age two. Mothers try to put the odds in their pup’s favor by overfeeding them in hopes of putting on some extra weight. Usually it doesn’t help. Pups get fat but they don’t grow like they should. It’s more about skeletal size than it is about actual weight. Bucky has a whole book full of measurements that he takes regularly to see which pups can now shift safely.

                “He’s going to be okay Susie.” Bucky tells her. “His head measurement is fine, that’s the most important one.  Besides, he’ll be one and a half in how many weeks?” Bucky reminds her. One and a half years old is considered the youngest a pup can safely shift.

                “Three.” Sue rubs her brow. “I’m sorry. I know this is just worried mother nonsense and you have to help people who actually should be worried.”

                “It’s okay… they seem to be doing alright.” Bucky tries not to sound as bitter as he actually is about the mothers he should be seeing but hasn’t. He’s happy to help Sue. He feels like he’s doing his job right now. “Here.” Bucky reaches under the table cloth covering his examination table. He takes out a candy bar that tastes like it has little clouds in it. “This is a special treat. It magically makes you gain several ounces every time you eat one. The next time you get worried, just have him eat some of this.” Bucky smiles comfortingly. ‘Magic’ is a strong word but he’s not lying about the effects.

                Sue looks from the candy bar to Bucky. “So is this why you’re showing so much?” She asks in wonder. “You’ve been eating these to make your pups grow big faster?” Bucky wasn’t prepared for that reaction.

                He looks down at himself. He’s taken to wearing a long tunic to cover up so the pack doesn’t stare quite so intently. He knows he’s much more visibly pregnant than the other whelping omegas in the pack. Maybe the candy is magic? “Uh, yeah… just don’t tell anybody.” Bucky has already given out six of these things and so far no one has blabbed. Sue nods committedly and gives Bucky a hug. The pup barks between them in fear of being squished against the growing swell under Bucky’s tunic.

                “Your secret is safe with me!” Sue winks and stashes the candy bar in her pocket before leaving with her baby.

                When the door is closed behind her Bucky focuses downward to examine himself for the tenth or so time that day. He smooths the fabric of his tunic flat against his body. He scowls at himself but rubs his distended abdomen anyway because those are his pups he’s glaring at.he doesn't want them to think they're in trouble. He closes his eyes. No sense in being angry at them, they haven’t done anything wrong. It was probably him with his damn candy bars. He’s limited himself to eating one a week but he’s still so much bigger than the other mothers. He can’t figure it out.

                He lets his hand fall as he goes to re-read his book on the topic of whelping for answers. The diagram of belly growth on page 34 shows pictures drawn every month for lupine and human forms. He’s currently only three months in but he already looks like he’s four or five months according to the drawings. He mentally kicks himself for not doing what Steve suggested and having Bruce check how many pups they were having when he could have at week eight. Knowing how many pups there are could have made his search for answers much easier. Now the opportunity is lost. Apparently after week eight they move lower and it becomes impossible to count them. Bucky huffs. He thought not doing it was the ‘fun way’ at the time.

                Instead of using the human’s way of counting pups, he convinced Steve that they should use the less accurate, more mystical method their kind has been using for ten centuries. Since they are already becoming legendary, it made sense to him that they should participate in this part of their culture. Unfortunately it takes three months to complete and it’s not started until three months after The Fertility Ceremony. Bucky has been counting the days until it’s time. Tomorrow afternoon is finally The Day of First Bands. Bucky has been dutifully helping for two weeks, though not in the capacity he should be as First Omega. Which brings him back to what’s really been under his skin for several weeks now. Peggy.

                He growls to himself for a second before he catches himself being unnecessarily spiteful. Really, nothing about this is unreasonable it’s just a huge blow to his ego. He’s been First Omega now for three months and Peggy’s still doing the majority of his important duties.  The most distressed of mothers go to her, she still practically runs the food distribution, and she does the majority of the medical counseling when Bruce isn’t available. On top of that she’s been dominating the running of the banding which is particularly irksome because he knows he could handle it. His greatest means of protest is to be present for the weaving as much as possible. He huffs and figures it’s about time for him to go try and be of use in the loom hut. Since he’s not adept at weaving, he does an important but pup-level job. He brushes people.

.oOo.

                Peggy is very good at working the loom, Bucky is shit at it. After hours of instruction and messing up the first seven times he tried, he’s to the point now where he fears he’ll never be able to weave. It would be a lot easier if he wasn’t missing a fucking arm.

                Bucky sits on the floor of the weaving hut waiting for the next wolf to come in to be brushed. So far he’s collected several pounds of fur this week. They’ve been working like mad to get enough hair to weave all of the bands for the first banding tomorrow. Because so many omegas are whelping this year, they need a lot more of the special belts than they have in years past.

                Each omega gets a woven band measured to the size of their belly at the widest point. The belt is blue with white wolves embroidered on it. These wolves represent the past generations of their kind that the omega is continuing. In three months they’ll measure again and find the difference. The omega then gets their belt extended. The new piece is decorated with green wolves of a precisely embroidered size. The number of wolves that fit between the first and second band is the number of pups that omega is predicted to be carrying. In the months following The Second Day of Bands, the whelping mothers embroider the bands with customized patterns and symbols that are passed down through their family and their alpha’s family. Omegas keep their bands always, Bucky is very excited to get his.

                He’s the only one in the hut at the moment. It’s lunch time so almost everyone is eating. Bucky has been snacking on berries and salted meat all day, so he isn’t hungry. He should probably be mingling with the other omegas but he should also be there in case someone uses their lunch time to come get brushed. They need more fur and Bucky isn’t going to be the reason they don’t get it.

                The door is open to let passerby know there is someone inside. Steve sticks his head in, looking for Bucky no doubt. He beams when he sees him. “There you are.”

                Bucky snorts. “Well you know me; I’m either here, in my hut, or napping in the den. Which order did you check today?”

                “Do I really need to answer that?” Steve sits down. He's been developing a pattern lately and Bucky doesn't mind one bit.

                “Oh I see how it is, you were hoping to find me in the den for a little afternoon nookie.” He slowly licks his upper lip and waggles an eyebrow salaciously.

                Steve inhales deeply. Bucky watches his dick give a very interested twitch, Steve moves his legs so it isn’t awkwardly pointing at the omega. The alpha looks like he’s about the deny it but then he blushes and mirrors the way Bucky licked his lips but much quicker. “Are you particularly opposed?”

                “No. I wouldn’t mind having you stuff me full of cock one bit.” Bucky winks. “But you gotta let me brush you first.”

                Steve gulps. His pupils dilate. “Seems like a fair trade.”

                “So shift already, I’m horny too you know.” Bucky nudges him and bites his lip. Steve groans a little before shifting.

                In the end Bucky does a half-assed job of brushing Steve. The problem with teasing someone with brushing is that the fur is supposed to go to a sacred, sentimental ritual. Steve’s nut fur really ought not be in the mix. Bucky takes the fur with him once they are forced to quit due to urgent need for sex. Bucky hides it in the woods so no one will know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summmmer time, and the living is eas-eh-eh. Fish are jumin, don't you know and the cotton is hi-gh-gh-gh!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDLDl0_pt_k
> 
> Oh my God Bucky, look at that world building! It's like so out there! ...In case you have somehow missed this, my music tastes are extremely varied. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	26. Chapter 26

“Buck… I’m not sure if I can again.” Steve has his forearm lazily thrown over his eyes. His First Omega has him pinned to their bed where he’s had him at his mercy for two orgasms already. Bucky determinedly kisses at Steve’s cock, encouraging him to get hard for him.

                “Please?” Bucky husks to his bondmate. He grinds his slick bottom against Steve’s thigh. “Come on Stevie, you wouldn’t leave me unsatisfied would you?”

                Steve lifts his arm away from his face and glares down at Bucky. “You’ve already come three times!”

                Bucky uses Steve’s visual awareness of him against him by batting his eyelashes and lapping at the alpha’s balls. “I know…” Bucky sucks on one while he strokes Steve’s shaft into semi-hardness again. Steve groans and grips the bedding. “But now I want more.” Bucky adds while he switches sides.

                Steve grits his teeth and hisses. Bucky pauses so he can check on him. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?” He’s horny but he doesn’t want his pleasure to come at Steve’s expense. The volume of sex they’ve been having recently has been high enough that it’s quite possible that they’ve sustained injuries.

                “Slightly?” Steve cringes.

                “So yes.”  Bucky takes his hand off of Steve with a disappointed huff.

                “I didn’t mean…” Steve bites his lip.

                “Well what did you mean?” Bucky grumps as he sits up and stretches. They’ve been at it for a couple of hours. Steve has already done this routine before once. Somewhere in there Bucky got his ass eaten and a snack break. So two snack breaks.

                “I… have no idea.” Steve sits up too.

                Bucky pokes the tip of Steve’s cock. “It’s not a tough question. Is your dick chafed or not?”

                Steve snorts. “No, no my dick is not chafed. How’s your asshole, asshole?” The alpha leans forward and kisses his bondmate. Bucky reciprocates with a smile on his face. He lets himself get pulled forward into Steve’s lap. Their kisses are brief with little smacking noises between each one. Steve pet’s Bucky’s head as he gently coaxes him into lying on top of his chest. The alpha’s other hand rubs circle patterns on Bucky’s lower back which gradually migrate to his rounded abdomen. That makes both of them particularly happy. Bucky drags his teeth over Steve’s lower lip. Steve exhales a soft moan.

                “Oh I see how it is.” Bucky cocks an eyebrow with his forehead pressed against Steve’s. Steve feels the facial change rather than sees it. “You wanted kisses.” He sasses in a patronizing tone. Steve rumbles at him and fits their mouths together more aggressively.

                Steve’s dick is now straining against his abs. Bucky grinds his erection next to Steve’s in needy little thrusts. Steve exhales through his nose and takes Bucky firmly by the hips. The omega stills so Steve can slide into him. Bucky peeps in satisfaction as he sinks down all the way in one easy motion. Their earlier couplings have left him loose. Steve runs his fingers up Bucky’s back to his shoulders.

                “Okay, one more. But you do the work.” He purrs into Bucky’s neck. Bucky chuckles and begins working himself over Steve’s cock.

                “Quite the alpha you are! Making your pregnant bondmate fuck _himself_ while you just sit there.” Bucky teases.

                “Yeah well,” Steve kisses Bucky’s throat. “Forgive me if I can’t keep up with your sex drive.” Steve’s breath hitches as Bucky clamps down around him. He shuts his eyes tightly for a second before blinking rapidly.

                “What can I say, pregnancy hormones.” Bucky chuckles deviously. He finds a particularly good spot by arching his back just right. The banter comes to a screeching halt when Bucky gets going. His thrusts are short but very fast. “Oh, fuck yes!” He clutches Steve’s shoulder and digs his claws in. “Right-oh! Oh!”

                Bucky curls his toes as he speeds up. He hisses as he furiously bounces up and down. Squelching noises fill the den along with Bucky’s moaning and Steve’s whiny gasps. “Yes! Yes! YES! YE-!” Bucky’s voice breaks. His thighs struggle to keep his rhythm. One more little nudge to his prostate is all it takes for him to plummet over the edge.

                The omega faceplants onto Steve’s chest when his orgasm crests. His scream is muffled by Steve’s skin. Steve is not knotting him. He might be able to get erect but knotting is another thing entirely. Steve’s already exerted himself on that front. Bucky isn’t too disappointed when Steve’s softened cock slips out of him followed by a trickle of come and Bucky’s lubricant.

                “We have really got to work on making our ‘quickies’ quick.” Steve comments as he puffs. He pushes his hair out of his face. The sweat makes it stay flopped at a funny angle. Bucky is too tired to really laugh at him so he settles for grinning like an idiot while he nuzzles Steve’s collar bone. Steve’s hands find their way back to Bucky’s belly as they always do these days. Bucky gets it, it’s typical alpha behavior. It make’s Bucky feel pleasantly fuzzy inside. Steve has always been doting but especially so lately. It’s a testament to how mushy pregnancy has made him that he hasn’t killed Steve yet.

                “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know…” Bucky shrugs one shoulder. “Do you have something better to be doing?”

                “Well, I wouldn’t say ‘better’. But words like ‘important’ and ‘my job’ come to mind.” Steve rolls his eyes. “You come first though.” Steve kisses the top of his bondmate’s head.

                “Shit…. I was supposed to be brushing people.”Bucky groans **.**

“Wow, not a single snark on that ‘come first’ line? Which seems to be true, by the way. I think that time only took you two minutes. Aren’t you supposed to take longer when you’ve already orgasmed three times?”

                “Don’t patronize me. I was still pretty wound up from the third one. I told you I was unsatisfied.” Bucky grumps.

                “Are you now?” Steve raises an eyebrow.

                Bucky slowly rotates his head so he’s looking up at Steve. His big doe eyes, flushed cheeks, kiss-swollen lips, and sweaty hair makes him look like the archetype of the satisfied omega. Bucky shakes his head at Steve and smiles lopsidedly.

                “Yes.” He keeps eye contact with Steve as he gives his chest a quick peck. “Yes, I am.”

                Steve can only gaze back at him fondly in response. “You want a nap before dinner?”

                “I should probably try to get at least half a pound of fur to make up for this.” Bucky still doesn’t move from his spot on Steve’s chest.

                “Remind me, why are you collecting fur again?” Steve asks.

                “For the banding, duh.” Bucky chuckles at his alpha. “You know that huge ceremony we’re doing tomorrow? Kind of a big deal?”

                Steve bites his lip. His eyebrows knit together in concern. Bucky feels the dread hit him in a wave. “What? Why are you making the face? Is there something wrong with the ceremony?!”

                “No!” Steve shakes his head and pets Bucky’s back. “No it isn’t that. It’s just…” Steve cringes. “When I asked Peggy how things were going, she said they already have all of the fur they need. That was three days ago.”

                Bucky sits up. All of his previous tiredness has vanished. Bucky stares at Steve trying to figure it out. He can only come up with one reason why he, the brusher, would not be informed that they have enough fur and it isn’t nice. “Mother fucker!” Bucky gets up and pulls on his tunic before charging out of the den.

                Steve stays in bed with his hands folded on his chest. “Do I get involved?” He weighs his options. “No. No, better not.” He rolls onto his side to nap and neglect his responsibilities for a bit longer.

.oOo.

                Bucky finds Peggy in The First Omega’s hut which she is still using as her office even though it is very clearly no longer hers. She’s talking to Clint and Tony about preparations for tomorrow which does nothing to improve Bucky’s mood. He walks into the hut clearly looking for a fight.

                “Peggy can I talk to you for a minute alone?” He asks because he doesn’t want to pulls Clint and Tony into this if he doesn’t have to.

                Peggy gives him an odd look and closes the notebook she was writing in. “Sure. I can spare a moment.”

                Tony and Clint hurry to leave before shit goes down. Bucky waits with his hands on his hips until the door is closed. Peggy is still sitting with one leg crossed over the other at the table.

                “So what’s bothering you?” She asks.

                “First off, this is not your hut. You have to ask my permission to be in here. We keep private information in this room that I’m supposed to keep safe.”

                Peggy clucks. “Please, I wrote half of that information down-.”

                “I don’t care. It’s not your place.” Bucky tells her sternly. “Secondly, why the fuck have you been distracting me with stupid brushing if you knew we had enough fur?!” Bucky thinks he knows the answer but he wants to be sure.

                Peggy stays quite with her lips pursed for a moment. “I wanted you to feel like you’re being included. You’ve struggled with the weaving so this was the best option.”

                “No!” Bucky yells. “The best option is to let me do my job! I’m supposed to be running the ceremony!”

                Peggy shakes her head. “You don’t have any experience. Don’t you think it’s better to at least observe once so you know what to do? You’re going to be running things as long as Steve is First Alpha, you’ve got plenty of time.”

                “I don’t care Peggy, that’s not your call!” Bucky gestures to his belly. “This year is special for me. I want to do this! It’s my responsibility!”

                “All the more reason for you to be a participant this year!” Peggy exclaims, now exasperated.

                “I’m going to be a participant! Steve is going to measure for me, like it says in the books I’ve read about this! The First Alpha is always supposed to band the First Omega. That’s our tradition because the First Omega is supposed to run the ceremony. Peggy, this is my job and I’m doing it. You can watch the ceremony tomorrow, but I don’t want you to be a part of it.”  

                Peggy stands up and walks out of the hut without another word. Bucky is almost certain he just saw tears in her eyes. He wasn’t expecting that. He thought Peggy was going to be bullheaded and fight him to the end like she always does. Peggy is one of the most stubborn, opinionated people he knows and she takes shit from no one. Crying just isn’t like her. Oh great, now what’s he done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up, Bucky tries to be diplomatic, some fluffy baby stuff happens, and we find out wtf is up with Peggy. Ah melodrama, because sometimes conflict doesn't have to involve evil Nazi organizations torturing Bucky. Also, nothing called 'The Ballad of The Three legged Werewolf' should be free of melodrama. That's like the principle ingredient of ballads. 
> 
> Sorry for the long time between updates. My school life is eating my time like a puppy with a peanut butter jar. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	27. Chapter 27

                Bucky doesn’t have time to be concerned over Peggy right now. He realizes ten seconds too late that he is now solely responsible for the ceremony tomorrow and he has no idea what Peggy had arranged. He looks at the table she was sitting by. Did she write out a plan? What was she talking to Tony about? Who’s helping? Who’s made special requests? What are they eating? Where are the fucking finished bands!? He smacks himself in the forehead. This was not smart. Sure, he knows how to run The Banding but he has no idea how to set up for it.

                First thing’s first, he should talk to Tony. He’s got the stuff, whatever that may be, and he’ll be able to help him figure out where to start. Once he finishes getting ready, he can find the bands and prepare them for tomorrow. The instructions are a little vague on how to do that, but he can figure it out. If he just keeps his cool, no one will know there’s a problem. Bucky takes a deep breath and pats his stomach.

                “There is no problem, we’ve got this.” He assures his pups.

.oOo.

                Tony’s hut is closed up. Bucky looks around. He doesn’t see the omega and there is no noise coming from inside the hut. Tony must have gone back to his den. Bucky starts to feel the beginnings of panic. He rushes towards the mountainside dens in search of help. It’s slightly awkward to run with his larger belly, but it’s still manageable.

                “Tony!” Bucky yells when he gets close to the omega’s home. He puts his hand on the rock face above the den to steady himself when he bends down to holler inside the dark tunnel. Bucky doesn’t hear any sound from inside the den either. This is not good. “Tony!?” He yells again. Bucky turns around and leans his back against the mountainside. He worries his lip and tries to think of where Tony could have disappeared to. Peggy would know but he can’t ask her. Clint, Clint was there too.

                Bucky all but sprints to The Second Omega’s home. “CLINT!” He yells inside the entrance to his den.

                “What?!” His friend screams back. Bucky flinches. In contrast to the silence of Tony’s den and hut, Clint’s home is unintentionally noisy. Natasha and Phil whisper to each other angrily over a soft smacking sound. Bucky is familiar enough with the sound of slick covered skin on skin to recognize the other quieter sound emanating from inside the den. Bucky’s cheeks flush.

                “Umm…” Why is he hear? Why aren’t they stopping!? The noise is actually getting louder, or maybe Bucky is just focusing in more.

                “You have two seconds to tell me what you want and then I’m tuning you out!” Clint snaps.

                “Where’s Tony!” Bucky bursts.

                “He went to go pick up Pepper! He’ll be back in the morning! Now fuck off Bucky!” Bucky hears him softly tell his mates to ‘go harder’, which is all the incentive Bucky needs to scramble away from the den despite the bad news.

                Once he’s sufficiently away from anyone who could potentially laugh at him, Bucky slaps himself in the face again and whimpers.

.oOo.

                After retreating to his hut, Bucky sits on the floor eating his third candy bar of the past ten minutes.

                “What are we going to do?” He asks his pups. He knows they are currently only slightly larger than grapes but he values their opinions. “I can’t ask for help or they’ll all think I can’t handle this.” His stomach gurgles, probably from having ingested so much junk so quickly. He takes that as a response anyway. “I know, mommy sucks at his job.”

                Bucky sighs and looks over some of the magazines he has spread out over the ground. He’s been looking for ideas. The First Omega’s hut has a bin full of magazines that sometimes get torn up to make bedding for pups if somebody is having trouble with potty training. The magazines are mostly about human den decorating. It’s weird but Bucky likes some of the things they make. He wishes he could read human so he could figure out what it is their strange crafts are supposed to be. There is this odd cone shaped thing with a long piece of grass sticking out of the middle that Bucky really wants to try. He thinks it’s a food. They light the piece of grass on fire in some of the pictures, which must be how the treat gets cooked. Why you wouldn’t just roast it on a stick, Bucky doesn’t understand.

                So maybe he’ll try making that cone things. He could use some of the honeycomb he knows Tony is hiding in his hut. They only give it out on special occasions, but what could be more special than this? The door is probably locked but he can break in. Now this is something he’s good at.

                There is no time for finesse. Bucky kicks the door down with one powerful sidekick. The door, made of mud and wood, shatters against the wall. Bucky’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. He can already hear Steve asking him what he expected. Maybe a better door? Bucky goes into the hut feeling like the fuck-up that he is. Why is it every time he feels confident about something, things go bad? He can’t exactly go hide the pieces of the door in the woods. Well, he _could_ but it wouldn’t do any good in the long run. Bucky gets to work digging through stuff instead. Maybe if he goes fast he can flee before people realize it was him. He finds the honeycombs wrapped neatly in wax paper. They were being stored inside a wooden crate under a counter. He picks up the crate under his arm and turns to leave when something blue catches his eye. Sitting on a table next to another box of food is a long, coiled band with white wolves embroidered onto it.

                “Jackpot motherfucker!” Bucky yells triumphantly. He has no idea what a jackpot is but he now understands why humans say it; it perfectly describes his feelings.

.oOo.

                Bucky examines his handiwork with a frown on his face. The honeycomb treats didn’t make the nice cone shape he was hoping for. The grass pieces look a little silly too. The lumpy mounds of crushed honeycomb with little grass blades sticking out of the top are not at all like the sleek things in the magazines. Oh well, they’ll still taste good. He looks through the box of food. They have juice, dried meat, berries, and nuts. It looks like it will be nice. He’ll just drag a table over to the amphitheater in the morning and set everything out. He’ll decorate with some flowers from the meadow and maybe some pine branches. Those are both pretty standard for gatherings.

                Next is the bands. Bucky looks at the long singular woven belt in confusion. How are they supposed to use this thing? They’re all supposed to have their own band. Is Peggy out of her mind? Bucky opens one of his books about their rituals. All of the pictures of The Day of First Bands show each person with their own. There isn’t anything in the description of the ceremony about cutting up one big band. He must be supposed to precut this thing into smaller pieces. He can do that. He’s good with knives. Very good.

.oOo.

                Bucky crawls into his den quietly so as to not wake Steve. He’s unsuccessful despite being absolutely silent. Steve can scent him from a mile away, he’s always aware of Bucky’s presence in relation to himself. Steve rolls over onto his back so he can watch his bondmate look through the stash of belongings they have inside a small alcove in their den. The alpha was only lightly dozing anyway.

                “How goes the warpath?” Steve asks.

                Bucky glances over at him. “It’s…” Bucky huffs. “Not as easy to be mad as I thought it would be. Mostly I’m just stressed. I really could have used her help. I just can’t stand to be undermined like that!”

                “I know. I’m sorry. I should have said something to her a while ago.” Steve admits. He scratches his head, tussling his hair adorably. “It’s just hard because she’s my friend and I understand why she throws herself at her responsibilities the way she does. It’s difficult for her to be idle.”

                “Any particular reason why?” Bucky pulls out a leather case which Clint gave him a few weeks ago as a congratulatory present. Giving someone a knife set to celebrate a pregnancy is exactly the kind of thing Bucky looks for in friends. “Or are you hiding important things from me again?” Bucky squints accusatorily at Steve.

                Steve weighs his response for a moment. “We collectively don’t talk about it as a pack because that’s the way Peggy wants it. She doesn’t want to be reminded or pitied, so nobody brings it up.”

                Bucky gets the sinking, guilty feeling in his gut for the second time that day. He knew something was up with Peggy, he knew it! “Can you tell me now so I don’t do something dumb?” Again! He kicks himself, but it’s not like he knew he was treading in dangerous territory.

                Steve takes a deep breath. “About three years ago, Peggy’s bondmate was killed by Alexander, the last First Alpha. Peggy’s bondmate found out about the pups that were being stolen but Alexander killed her before she could tell anyone. It was the first thing that tipped us off that something was wrong.” Bucky swallows a lump in his throat and sets down his knives. As a bondmate himself, he completely understands the terror surrounding losing someone so biologically mandatory. The thought along makes him ache for Steve. He doesn’t have to go without him. He crawls over to his alpha and curls against his side. Pregnancy coupled with the normal strength of his bond has him gently nuzzling for reassuring touches. Steve wraps his arms around him and gladly scents his neck. “I was really hoping you’d do that.” Bucky smiles against Steve’s skin. It’s good to be mutually pined for.

                 Bucky puffs, his stomach is turning, but he needs the full story. “So she lost her bondmate and then what?” Bucky asks now that he’s nearly certain that Steve isn’t going to suddenly vanish.

                “Well, nothing for a while. Her daughter went to go work with the humans to try to find answers and Peggy stayed here. She was too heartbroken to keep going. We all tried to get her to keep trying to participate but it seemed hopeless. She just hid in her den every day until eventually the smell of her bondmate faded away.” Bucky whines and presses his nose against Steve. “Yeah, I know.” Steve strokes his head. “Nobody knew what to do after that, it was like she lost all purpose for living. Her daughter was grown up and she had no rank within the pack after her mate died, she could have reestablished herself but she didn’t want to. Then we found out what was happening with the First Alpha and things changed. Within about three days our entire pack leadership was overthrown. I was only Sixth Alpha under the old First Alpha’s favorite goons. We had to eliminate the whole upper ranks of our pack. There was a lot of blood. Nobody fought harder than Peggy. She finally got her revenge. She needed that but she also needed something to do with herself. She knows so much and is such an asset to our pack that I offered to make her First Omega once things settled. She didn’t like the idea at first but I assured her it wouldn’t be like I was trying to replace her bondmate.” Steve smiles fondly at Bucky. “I always wanted what she had with Angie. I knew I was never going to have that with her.”

                 “So it…” Bucky feels a little surge of happiness. “It was never feelings between you?” It’s not the point of this conversation but it does make him feel a little better.

                 “No. I wanted her to be happy and have a purpose. We’re just good friends Buck, haven’t I been telling you that all along?” Steve chuckles once.

                 “You smelled like her when we first met.” Bucky asks, not quite believing what Steve said is the whole truth.

                 Steve sighs guiltily. At least he clearly regrets whatever happened. “I know. We used to help each other out with the loneliness. That was just physical though. We always agreed as soon as I found somebody I wanted, we’d stop. That’s what we did when you came back.” Steve kisses Bucky’s temple affectionately.

                 “Oh.” Bucky thinks about it for a moment. “So she’s been acting out of place because keeping busy is her form of coping with the loss of her bondmate?”

                 “Basically.” Steve winces.

                 “That is…” Bucky thumps his head against Steve’s shoulder. “Not making me feel awesome. Why do you always tell me these things after I’ve made an ass of myself?” Bucky groans.

                 “Because I value other people’s privacy and because I only pretend to know what I’m doing?” Steve strokes Bucky’s shoulders. Steve’s joking tone fades. “I’m sorry, I wish I was better at this. I really don’t know what I’m doing most of the time.”

                 “Maybe you should just…” Bucky grumbles. “Stop trying to hide things from me?” That seems so obvious but Steve always has a good reason for not telling him. Still, it’s fucking infuriating.

                 Steve sighs heavily. “Luckily we don’t have that many more deep dark secrets.”

                 “’That many more’?” Bucky nudges Steve. “What else are you hiding from me?”

                 “Well I never told you want happened to Alexander.” Steve reply’s like he’s actually going to answer if Bucky asks.

                “What do you mean? You killed him didn’t you?” Bucky asks concernedly.

                “Of course I did.” Steve continues to pet Bucky to keep him from getting worked up. “It’s what we did with his body that we hide from people.”

                “Oh….” Bucky nods with his brow contorted in confusion. “So what _did_ you do with it?”

                “We chopped it up and threw it into the shit pit.” The ‘shit pit’ is the communal place where everyone does their business when it’s a solid. Bucky snorts, grinning from ear to ear. He continues to laugh quietly with a deep feeling of satisfaction.

                Steve, pleased to see that he’s made his bondmate happy, ducks his head down and kisses him on the lips. Bucky hums happily between their mouths. Their lips smack a few times between pecks. Bucky is about to encourage a whole lot more than kissing when he suddenly remembers his responsibilities. He pulls away with a cranky lament.

                “What?” Steve sits up as Bucky picks himself up and grabs his knife set.

                “I’ve got to get back to getting ready. I still have to cut up the band. I have to cut it up right?” Bucky checks, because he’d hate to do it when he’s not supposed to.

                “Yeah, it’s always been separated when I’ve seen it.” Steve nods. “Do you need anything?”

                “You know...” Bucky pauses, thinking about his current stressful situation and what he’s been doing about it. “Despite everything, I think I’ve actually got this figured out. I might not be such a terrible First Omega after all.” He smirks triumphantly.

                “You never were.”

                “Well-!” Bucky snorts. “Says you!” The omega blushes anyway.               

                “But really, you need anything at all, just let me know.” Steve gets up to give him one more kiss.

                “Like I said, I’ve got this.” Bucky tells his bondmate confidently.

.oOo.

                Bucky sits on the floor of his hut sobbing his eyes out. He’s ruined everything. He doesn’t understand what went wrong. One second everything was cut into neat pieces, the next every single band fell apart in his hands and he couldn't do the knots right to stop it because he's missing a fucking arm. The few he managed to keep together are no longer than a foot. Everything is ruined, it’s a total disaster, Steve will hate him, the pack will hate him, everyone’s babies will be little mutants, it’s all over. Bucky curls up in a ball and cries more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever just have one of THOSE days when shit just goes horribly, horribly wrong? This chapter is dedicated to everybody who has ever thought they had their shit together, who then realized NOPE! In other words, this chapter goes out to every person who has ever lived on planet earth. We are all united in this thing called FAIL. 
> 
> Peggy's alpha was the lovely Angie Martinelli. I am not going to lie, I haven't actually seen Agent Carter. I have been writing all of this based entirely on Peggy in Cap 1 and on the characterization I see on tumblr. I ship Peggy and Angie because of tumblr. Also, this fic needed a female alpha/omega pairing. Despite being bisexual( currently more into women than men) I don't write enough relationship's between women. This has always been a peeve of mine. So if you're ever like, 'where is the girl on girl representation?' that would just be the author's life. Sorry it's so subtle. XD In case anyone has the dying need to know, I am a bisexual, cis female. Not that that is in anyway important to me in the context of my internet self. I'd also like to say that the person I am online is almost identical to the person I am in real life. The only difference is my disgustingly expressive facial expressions. 
> 
> I am so,so sorry it took so long to post this time. In the last two weeks I have had a death of a family friend, my birthday, my best friend's birthday, four midterms, over 6+ hours of homework a night on top of classes, hyersomnia, and tons of drama with my graduation application. I have had one day a week to write and on that day I've been choosing to sew because I'm into that right now. I have a break this week so expect more from me! Again, I am sorry. My fucking schedule is terrible. 
> 
> -The Tired Trollop


	28. Chapter 28

                 Steve is, of course, the first person to come looking for him when Bucky doesn’t show up to dinner. When the alpha discovers his mate curled up on the ground surrounded by the remains of a two-month-long project, he decides to get help before doing anything else. He comes back with Peggy in toe, because there was no better option and Steve is now seriously concerned.

                “Hey…” The alpha kneels down next to his ridiculously hormonal mate. Bucky looks up at him with sad, red rimmed eyes.

                “I ruined it.” Bucky whimpers. Steve scoops him up into his arms. Bucky is limp in his hold. “Steve, stop it. I’m bad at this. I don’t deserve you. Leave me.”

                Steve can only chuckle at that. “What are you talking about you ridiculous creature?” Steve strokes his bondmate’s hair away from his eyes. Little pieces of it were sticking to dried snot and tears.

                “Goway!” Bucky growls as he tries to pull away from Steve. Crying has sapped away his strength so that he can barely struggle at all.

                “Buck, what are you doing?” Steve shakes his head.

                “I quit. I don’t wanna do this no more! ‘m done!” He wipes his face on his shoulder. “I SUCK!” He howls.

                “Well I hate to break it to you, but you aren’t allowed to quit. You are my bondmate, there’s no getting out of that.”

                “Don’t want to not be yours!” Bucky protests.

                “You just told me to leave you.” Steve points out amusedly.

                “NO!” Bucky barks. He snuggles into Steve’s side like he intends to take root there.

                “So it’s just the First Omega part that you don’t like?” Steve asks, happy to see the crisis is not as bad as he feared.

                “Yeah.” Bucky swallows and sniffles against Steve’s neck. He has to breathe in Steve’s scent through his mouth because his nose is too plugged.

                “Okay…” Steve kisses the top of Bucky’s head. “We’ll see what we can do about that.”

                Peggy examines the table covered with Bucky’s snack project. She looks mildly impressed.

                “Would you believe me if I told you this is not the worst attempt I’ve seen?” Peggy asks the distressed First Omega.

                “No…” Bucky grumps.

                “It’s true. This could have been much, much worse. For one thing, nothing is on fire. That alone is a huge improvement.”

                “We were supposed to light the grass on fire!” Bucky sobs into Steve’s chest.

                Steve cringes and gives Peggy a critical look. Peggy takes a deep breath and looks at the destroyed bands. It took her and the best weavers in the pack two months to finish the weaving and embroidery. She knows a few people will be less than pleased to discover that all their hard work has unraveled. Not that anyone will be allowed to be cross with The First Omega, it was a simple mistake. Peggy can hardly blame Bucky for all of this, he only did what he thought he had to do as part of his job. If she had been a mentor instead of trying to do it all for him, none of this would have happened. Peggy sits down in front of Bucky and Steve with a respectful distance between herself and the couple.

                The older omega takes a second to compose what she wants to say before she begins. It’s a good opportunity for Bucky to try to stop crying. He’s semi successful but one eye just won’t stop leaking. He gets so furious he starts crying again. “I’m sorry Darling.” Peggy tells Bucky sincerely. “This isn’t how things are supposed to be done.” Bucky gives her a look that screams ‘no shit’. “Not the mess, I mean how I’ve been micromanaging you. I’ve been doing too much and sharing too little.” She hangs her head. “You were just so… happy.” Peggy puts a hand over her mouth. “I thought you’d surly only want to be with Steve if you could.” She shrugs and looks away. “What am I going on about? I’m just trying to justify keeping all the responsibilities to myself. Working is the only thing that keeps me going these days. If I’m not helping the pack, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

                “But why _my_ job!” Bucky wails.

                “Well obviously because it’s the hardest, most time consuming role in the whole pack.” Peggy gestures to the mess in the hut. “As I’m sure you’ve realized.”

                “Right, yeah!” Bucky rubs at his eyes. “Fucking take it!”

                “I…” Peggy bites her lip. “No, I can’t do that. I shouldn’t even if I could. What I can do is help, I mean really help, not dominate everything like I have.”

                Bucky blinks a couple of times, thinking hard. Steve kisses his shoulder encouragingly. Bucky glances his way then back at Peggy.

                “It’s not fair.” Bucky tells her sheepishly. “What happened to your bondmate, I mean.” Peggy draws in a sharp breath. “If I had known that’s why you were doing it, I never would have yelled at you for doing too much. If that’s how you want to cope, you can help me all you need to. I sure as fuck can’t do this alone.” Bucky smiles lopsidedly.

                “I appreciate it.” Peggy lowers her eyes.

                “So…” Bucky wipes his eyes and looks around at the mess on the floor. “Help?”

.oOo.

                Steve makes himself useful by gathering ingredients from Tony’s hut. He does not comment on the door, which Bucky is extremely glad of. Once he’s done and Bucky and Peggy have what they need. He sets out to go get the decorations ready.

                Peggy shows Bucky how to make a doughy ball thing with the stuff from the snack box as filling. She says they’ll cook these in the brick oven once they’re finished. Bucky likes the texture of the dough but it tastes funny uncooked. He wishes it was sweeter. He has had such a sweet tooth during this pregnancy.

               “Can we still use the honeycomb?” Bucky asks as he folds berries and nuts into a little dough pouch.

               “I don’t see why not.” Peggy continues to work a rolling pin, smoothing the dough for Bucky. Bucky folds the dough and pinches the edges together with care.  

               “Maybe we should make them look better though?” Bucky suggests.

               Peggy purses her lips to keep from laughing. “Probably a wise idea.” She winks and sets a new slab of dough to the side. “We could shape them into balls. That would look nice, I think.”

               “Sounds good to me, I can actually make those!” Bucky beams.

               “Great.” Peggy nods and scoops up some more dough. “As soon as we’re finished with these we’ll work on those.”

               “Uhh.” Bucky looks at the pile of destroyed bands. “What about the bands?” He asks. Surely there has got to be some way to fix them.

               Peggy sighs heavily. “Those I’m afraid, are lost. We’ll just have to explain to everyone there was an accident. We can use string to take everyone’s measurements. It will be alright.”

               “You mean like they used to do it?” Bucky asks offhandedly as he focuses on his cooking task.

               Peggy pauses. “What?” She tilts her head a little. Bucky looks up at her.

               “That’s how it used to be done.” Bucky tells her, expecting her to remember at any time. Peggy continues to look at him like he’s discovered something revolutionary. “They took the first measurements with string then when the mothers shift for the first time, we brushed them to get the fur for the bands. You know, cause were so furry after not shedding for three months.”

               “I have never heard of that.” Peggy marvels. “When was this our tradition?” Bucky glances over at the wall. He eyes the line of books documenting their history and culture. They generally divide their historical information into volumes pertaining to a hundred years each.

               “Um… a hundred years ago?” Bucky tries to think of which volume he read that in.

               Peggy sputters. “You’ve read all of those?!”

               “No, just the last ten of them.” Bucky shrugs. “I was bored when you were doing all my work for me. I sat around in here and waited for someone to need me and I read those things.”

               “That’s brilliant.” Peggy puffs in astonishment. “During the ceremony tomorrow, tell everyone we’re starting a new tradition now that we have more mothers again. That’s perfect actually, it’s so sweet.”

                Bucky smiles proudly. “Yeah?”

                “Yes Bucky I mean it. Tomorrow is going to be wonderful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was kinda boring XD. Next one will be a bit more exciting and the one after that will be very exciting. We are getting pretty close to the end believe it or not. I'm actually kinda excited to get back to other projects which is good because that was the whole purpose of this break. Only trouble is now, I have a dire need to write yet another unrelated work but I'm making myself write my unfinished stuff first. I'm finishing the Winter Soldier Goes Public: Part 2 if it kills me. I swear! Then I'm going to work more on Spidey and then I might work on my new thing. Bucky and Steve Become mates has a long, long way to go still. I might need another break. 
> 
> Tomorrow I go in search of an internship opportunity! Wee! Also my friend is being kinda stupid and I'm not happy one damn bit! Sobbing actually. Like really? I have to laugh because it's ridiculous and yet so damn hurtful. Like oh my god why?! I hate this. People are hard. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	29. Chapter 29

                The Day of First Bands always begins with food. The snack table was nicely arranged by Steve to look like something out of a ‘woodland themed’ human den magazine. It’s a gorgeous spread and people dig in at once. The only thing people are hesitant about is the balls of honeycomb.

                Clint looks one over suspiciously. “Why is it shaped like this? What’s wrong with it being square?” Unfortunately for him, Steve has been hovering while nibbling on one.

                “Eat it.” Steve growls. “Bucky came up with them by himself. _Eat it_.” He glares at Clint as he menacingly takes a bite.

                Clint smiles nervously and raises the treat to his lips. “Right of course, they look great.” He takes a bite. “And they taste exactly the same!” Clint declares loudly in case anybody is also wondering. “Mmmmm!” He makes exaggerated ‘yummy’ noises to appease Steve who is still hostilely observing him.

                Steve snorts, approving of Clint’s assessment. The alpha gets him another honeycomb ball from the table and shoves it at him. “Take another. They are _very_ good. Much better than the square ones.” He strongly suggests. He eyes Clint as he stalks away to go find another victim. Clint takes another bite and gives Steve the thumbs up.

                By the time Bucky has psyched himself up to give his first speech as First Omega, the round honeycombs have all been eaten. Steve may have stuffed the last two in his mouth just before Bucky passed the table but Bucky will never know. Steve’s jaw hurts a bit but it’s worth the small smile that breaks through Bucky’s severely apprehensive expression.

                Bucky stands in front of The Breading Stone in the amphitheater where he was less than ceremoniously chosen as First Omega three months ago. His pups were probably conceived ten feet away from where he now stands. The Fertility Ceremony was easy to get through because he only concentrated on Steve throughout it. Now, with every eye in the pack on him and no sex to distract him, he is much less comfortable being observed. His notecards shake in his single hand so hard that Bucky can’t read the words. Everyone is looking at him expectantly. A lot of the pack is using this opportunity to stare at his belly. Bucky sees this and looks at it himself. He smooths his tunic down as an excuse to ‘pet his pups’. It’s not enough to calm him. He’s still got to give the whole pack bad news about the bands.

                He hears movement in front of him and looks up. Steve has come out of the crowd. He walks right up next to Bucky and puts a hand on his back comfortingly. He smiles proudly at Bucky but says nothing to distract from this being Bucky’s speech. Bucky holds his shaking cards up again. Steve takes the other side of them so that they don’t shake anymore. Now that Bucky can actually read, he can begin.

                Bucky swallows one more time before he starts his speech. “Uh.” His voice comes out too quiet at first so he adjusts by coughing a bit. “Sorry. I’m new.” He states. The crowd finds that funny. They laugh quietly which only make’s Bucky feel like he’s supposed to be entertaining. Is he supposed to be funny? He thought he was supposed to be formal. Bucky forces a smile to seem like he’s in on the joke. “I uh, know that you are all expecting a pretty clear program today.” He cuts his eyes to the far left. “But that’s not what we’re going to do.” The crowd looks concerned. Some of the mothers look horrified. “Don’t worry!” He burst. “We are going to take everybody’s measurements. We’re just going to do it in a different way than before.” He flips his note card with some help from Steve. “Um. So a long time ago, actually about a century ago, it wasn’t a _really_ long time ago it was relatively recent.” He’s babbling. ‘Stick to the cards!’ He screams internally. “We used to have a lot more people whelp each year. So instead of collecting fur from the rest of the pack to make the bands, we collected the fur from the mothers on The Day of First Bands. You know, because we are really furry after our first shift in a while. So we’re going to do the measurements with some cord for now. Then in a couple of weeks we’ll have the new bands ready. We’ll collect fur from the pack for the second part of the bands if we don’t have enough.” Bucky gulps. “That’s how they used to do it. It was symbolic or something. Yeah. Uh.” He has no idea how to end this. He has completely abandoned his notecards. “Any questions?” He cringes. That was probably the wrong thing to ask.

               “What happened to the band we made?” Somebody calls from the crowd.

               Bucky has feared this question. Now that he’s been asked it, he can’t bring himself to respond.

               “Ahem.” Peggy coughs to get everyone’s attention from the sideline. “I have to take responsibility for that. We encountered trouble while we were cutting them up. When we were closing up the ends with the bias tape, some of my stitching was too loose. We had too many bands unravel so there isn’t enough for everyone as it is now.” She shrugs. “If you all were a little less fertile it wouldn’t have been a problem.”

               The crowd chuckles again and Bucky has seldom been this relieved. He flips to his last card quickly before the moment dies. “I’d also like to announce that we’re going to add a new position to the pack.” He smiles at Peggy. She stares back at him in confusion. They hadn’t discussed this. “Because I have no idea what I’m doing. I think it’s in the pack’s best interest if I elect an advisor. Someone who has been First Omega before and has the pack’s trust. So I’m creating the position of Grand Omega, to help guide me and support the pack when I’m uncertain. Peggy, if you would do us the honor of becoming our first Grand Omega, I would be extremely grateful.” Steve gestures for Peggy to come forward. She looks to Bucky to see if it’s alright. Bucky nods vigorously. “Come up here so everyone can see.”

               Peggy approaches slowly, still shocked by what’s just happened. She looks from the pack to Bucky and Steve. The pack begins to applaud. Bucky puffs up a bit, invigorated by the pack’s approval. The corner of Peggy’s mouth twitches into almost a smile. Bucky steps away from Steve to stands in front of her. He reaches into the pocket of his tunic and pulls out a short band that he managed to preserve. It has exactly one white wolf on it. The ends are braided (Steve helped) so that they form little ties. “Do you accept your new, full time role?” Bucky holds out the band, now bracelet. “You might be extremely busy, I hope that’s not a problem?”

               Peggy closes her eyes and bites her lip. “No, I don’t think that will be an issue. Yes, I accept.” She takes the bracelet and ties it around her wrist. Bucky beams at her, he knows he did good. When Peggy finishes tying the band, she pulls Bucky into a grateful hug. Bucky laughs once and pats her back. The crowd woops and claps in support. The sound is so loud Bucky almost misses the way Steve growls defensively over Bucky. He doesn’t like that he’s being touched. Bucky lets go of Peggy and addresses the crowd again.

              “Alright, so let’s get started.”

.oOo.

               The banding goes off without a hitch. It’s easy to cut the cord to the correct length and then hang it up next to the others on a special rack. Bucky fits the cord around the widest part of each mother’s belly then marks the place. He cuts it, tags it with the mother’s name then gives it to Peggy to measure it and put it on the rack. There is a lot of chatting about how many pups everyone wants. More is generally considered better but some people argue there is such a thing as too many.

               “I could not handle any more than I have.” Clint tells Tony and Pepper who are sitting off to the side of where Bucky and Peggy are working. “I guess I could have had two more because I have six nipples in my lupine form, but that would be too much.” He snatches up one of his sandy brown boy pups and scratches behind his ear. “Besides, I gotta switch Nip Nip around so he doesn’t chew one off or something.”

               Pepper snorts with laugher. “What is his name?”

               “Nipple Nipper, Nip Nip for short.” Clint explains as he boops his baby on the nose. The pup goes cross-eyed as he watches Clint’s finger.

               “You can’t seriously want to name him that permanently?” Bucky asks over his shoulder.

               “Why not, the little shit deserves it for all the pain he’s caused me!” Clint huffs amusedly. “Your head did not want to come out.” Clint kisses the pup on his forehead. “No. Mommy was not happy.”

               Natasha comes back with a plate of dumplings for them. Phil has refills on the drinks. “Are you picking on Nip Nip again?” Phil asks.

               “Yes. Defend him and you’re going to be on nipple cream duty.”

               “I said nothing.” Phil smirks and sets down their drinks. “But I will still put cream on your sore nipples anyway.”

               Natasha rolls her eyes and hands a dumpling to Bucky between measurings. “This is what you have to look forward to.” Bucky distractedly watches the young mother go to look at the record book which shows the measurements of everyone in the past fifty years. There is a column for the length of the first band, the second band, and the number of pups at birth. “Are you listening?” Natasha nudges him.

               Steve rumbles as he approaches. He’s bringing Bucky food too. He looks at the dumpling Natasha gave his mate angrily. “Nat, why did you give him that? I brought him a whole plate he doesn’t need it.” In other words, Steve is insulted that Natasha insinuated he is not adequately feeding his bondmate.

               “Relax, I’ll take it back.” She sighs in exasperation.

               “Don’t take food from him!” Steve snaps.

                “Steve!” Bucky scolds. “Come on, get a grip on yourself. You’re acting like a nut.”

               “That’s my job.” Steve sits down next to Bucky. “You whelp, I go crazy. That’s how it works.”

               “I get it Bucky, don’t worry about it.” Natasha waves Steve off. “Everyone expects this of him right now.”

               “Doesn’t mean he gets to be rude.” Bucky grumbles.

               Peggy looks up from the records book. “Alright we’ve got everyone but one.” She directs her attention over to Bucky. “Want to get your banding in before you eat?”

               Bucky perks up. “Yeah, sure I do.” He gives Steve the cord. “Here, you do it for me, okay?” Bucky strips off his tunic. His group of friends gander at him curiously. Steve wraps the cords around him snugly and marks it off just like Bucky’s been doing. When he lets the string go and holds it up, Bucky thinks he must have done it wrong. “Steve, that can’t be right. Do it again.”

               “I did it right Buck.” Steve does as Bucky wants anyway to show him. Bucky stretches to look to see that it’s at the right place on his back and that it stays level all the way around. It’s done exactly right like Steve said. Steve lets go and holds it up again. The cord is more than six inches longer than the next longest band.

              Bucky marks it as his and sets it on the rack next to the others. There is no mistaking it for anyone else’s but he feels the need anyway. Peggy measures it and writes down the number in the records book. Bucky stares at it concernedly.

              “Well…” Steve strokes his back. “You said you wanted a big, healthy litter.”

              Bucky inhales sharply. “I really hope they’re just monster sized.”

              “Yeah no.” Clint comments. “For your asshole’s sake, you should want lots of medium sized ones. Trust me, you’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self indulgent fluff and protective Steve is my jam. Up next, more of the same. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	30. Chapter 30

               The First Omega and The First Alpha crowd around the book looking for a measurement like Bucky’s from past years. They have to go back three decades before they find one like it. The most similar measurement they can find belonged to a mother who whelped eight pups.

               “Now this really doesn’t mean anything.” Peggy calmly tells the disturbed parents. When they continue to fixate on the page, she snaps her fingers in front of Steve and Bucky’s eyes to get them to stop staring. “Hey, listen to me. There is absolutely no reason to suspect you are going to have eight pups based on this! First bands don’t mean anything, it’s just an initial measurement so that we can find the difference. It’s the _difference_ that counts.”

                “Then why does everyone always crowd around here to check!?” Steve squeaks, terrified that this litter will be too much for his bondmate.

               “Because people are curious and I can’t stop them.” Peggy closes the book.

               Bucky takes a deep breath. “Okay, doesn’t mean anything. Right.” Bucky reaches under the table to fish out a basket full of brushes. “Let’s do the brushing now so we can go home for a nap.”

               “Good idea.” Steve pets Bucky’s head and pecks him on the temple. Bucky puts his tunic back on before he goes out ‘in public’ again.  

               “Stevie would you grab the tarps too?” He asks before he walks away from their temporary post where they took the measurements. He walks back over to the amphitheater where almost everyone is eating and chatting. Steve follows him with several large blue tarps. Natasha, Phil, and Peggy help him set them out in the open spaces.

                “Alright.” Bucky says to draw everyone’s attention. “Now comes the fuzzy part.” He can’t help but snort and squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. Steve told him to say that. He practiced all night and he still can’t do it with a straight face. The crowd laughs too. Bucky is glad that the earlier formality has faded. “As you all obviously know, we the whelping omegas, were not allowed to shift for the past three months because it’s not good for our pups. As of a couple of weeks ago it became okay again but, because its tradition, we don’t do it until now. So!” Bucky takes a deep breath. “Would all of the whelping omegas please find a place on a tarp, shift, and let their friends and family brush them? You know, so we can make the bands?” Bucky gestures at a tarp for emphasis. He feels ridiculous, like he’s trying to sell something.

                Luckily the mothers quickly go to find a place to shift. Bucky hands out brushes to everyone, they have a few dozen so there is no danger in being short. Once everyone has found a spot Bucky tells them to begin and steps back to watch.

                “You too.” Steve says from behind him. Bucky whips around and beams at his bondmate.

                “Yeah, me too.” He hands Steve his last brush. Peggy must have grabbed one for each person.

                “Where do you want to go?” Steve asks like he didn’t already set up a mini tarp over by where they did the measurements. The protective dope clearly wants him secluded.

                “Oh I don’t know…” Bucky teases. “Maybe right over there in the middle of everybody?” Steve draws in an anxious breath which clearly screams ‘no!’ Bucky shoulder checks him as he bites his lip and walks towards the tarp Steve set up. “Come on Punk, let’s go to our ‘special spot’ since you made it all nice for me.”

                “You like it?” Steve asks seriously. Bucky takes Steve’s arm and pulls it over his shoulders.

                “Yes, I like everything you do.” Bucky rolls his eyes. He leans up and pecks him on the jaw. “Because I like you.”

                Steve flushes bright red all the way up to his ears. Bucky feels his stomach flip with happiness at the sight.

                Bucky stands in the center of his private tarp while he waits for Steve to quit fussing with where he’s sitting. The alpha gets up just after he seems to have settled. Steve, not wanting to be left out, helps Bucky take of his tunic by lifting it over his head. Once Bucky is completely naked, and slightly exasperated with his silly bondmate, he puts his hands on his middle and stares at the tarp to focus his breathing.

                For the first time in several years, Bucky is acutely aware of himself as he shifts. It’s a tricky process to go through when there are tiny bodies inside you that do not shift with you. The pups stay in their lupine form always even as Bucky’s uterus gets bigger around them. At least that’s the general consensus of his kind. They don’t have any scientific evidence of a size change, they go entirely by feeling. Bucky feels like there is definitely more room in there. Once he’s down on three legs, the weight of his pups moves off his bladder and pelvis into a strange, pendulous feeling beneath him. As relieved as he is to have them off his bladder, he was accustomed to the way they sat cradled in his pelvis. He’s not sure if he likes this new arrangement. It doesn’t feel as secure. He can definitely see the allure in a few months when his organs are going to be squished, but for now he definitely prefers his human form.

                Once he’s completely shifted, he bends to look himself over. He is wooly! He’s never seen his coat so packed with fur! He nibbles at his leg to pull some out but immediately regrets it after getting a big mouthful of hair. Steve laughs as Bucky tries to scrape it off his tongue with his teeth. The alpha carefully picks the fur out of Bucky’s mouth.

                “Now why did you do that? You know we’re going to brush you.” Steve chuckles as he cleans away as much fur as possible. Bucky just knows he’s going to have a hairball later.

                Bucky makes an affirmative ‘che’ noise and tries to keep still. It’s harder to balance now that he’s got a heavy weight in his abdomen. He turns his head to see how obvious the actual bump is. He noses at his belly interestedly.

                “Lay down and we’ll check it out.” Steve suggests like he’s reading Bucky’s mind. Bucky sits down and lowers himself as gently as possible. Once is sprawled out on his right side, he let’s Steve investigate.

                Steve starts out by petting his swollen underbelly. “Oh, yeah I can feel.” He beams as he gingerly palpates the firm organ under Bucky’s abdominal wall. Bucky’s ears tuck back. He curls inward and sniffs at where Steve is feeling. Steve moves his hand away so Bucky can press there with his muzzle. The omega mother-to-be noses at the peculiar presence in his body curiously. Bucky is intrigued by this for a minute while Steve gets out the brush.

                Steve gestures towards Bucky with the brush. “Where do you want me to start?”

                Bucky considers this then gestures to his butt. Steve laughs at this and obliges by brushing against the grain of his fur. Bucky chirps in ecstasy and stretches out to enjoy this.

.oOo.

                The old tradition definitely had the right idea about collecting the fur from the freshly shifted mothers. Each wolf yields enough hair for three bands easily. Bucky takes no notice of this, he’s having a fabulous time being brushed.

                Steve stuffs some more of Bucky’s fur into their designated potato sack. He has to pack it in to make the fluffy softness fit. Every time Steve stops Bucky looks up at him with big, pleading eyes, begging him to continue. Lucky for him 1. His bondmate is powerless to resist his every whim. 2. Bucky has a LOT of hair to brush out. After forty five minutes of brushing, Steve is still getting a nearly full brush every ten strokes or so.

                “How’s it going?” Clint asks. He leans over the other side of Bucky. Clint’s pups swarm around him interestedly. Bucky boops each of them with his snout.

                Steve cleans the brush again. “Good. I think we’ve found a much better way of getting fur for the bands.” The alpha watches Clint out of the corner of his eye warily.

                Clint raises his hand over Bucky’s belly, asking the omega for permission. Bucky doesn’t see why not, he always enjoys a nice petting. Steve on the other hand, turns sour. He says nothing, but when Clint feels Bucky’s swollen underbelly, Steve looks on the brink of snapping.

                “Wow, Bucky you are so screwed. There has got to be a whole bunch in there.” Clint teases as he gives Bucky’s slightly bulbous belly a good pat.

                “Are we groping people now?” Tony asks as he approaches. He hunkers down and touches Bucky without asking. This miffs Bucky slightly more but Tony is very gentle so he doesn’t mind. Steve’s nostrils flair as he spots others coming to investigate too. A minute later, Phil, Natasha, Pepper, and Peggy have joined in touching Bucky. Clint rubs Bucky’s ears which the omega appreciates but he’s starting to get a bit claustrophobic. In the midst of this the appropriately named Nip Nip snuggles up to Bucky and proceeds to bite him on the nipple. Bucky yelps in pain. He’s unused to sharp teethies and Nip Nip bites hard.

                “NO MORE!” Steve gives Clint his pup and picks Bucky up in his arms. Bucky is cradled in Steve’s arms surprisingly securely. Steve carries him away in a huff while growling possessively.

                Steve has to set Bucky down so they can crawl into their den. Bucky goes ahead while Steve shifts outside. He follows his bondmate a few minutes later after running to get a few more snacks for Bucky. Steve sets down a mouthful of dried meat and one of Bucky’s candy bars next to their bed. Bucky wags his tail when he sees it. Steve circles Bucky a few times before he flops down with his eyes and nose tucked under Bucky’s chin.

                Steve whines pathetically now that he’s in a better spot. Bucky chuckles at his bondmate and wiggles until they are completely flush with each other. Once they get comfortable. Buck falls asleep fast. It’s been a long day and night. He deserves a little rest and so does Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are on the home stretch here. I can't see there being more than another eight chapters or so. Next up we skip forward a few weeks, some important things happen, then we cover the pups being born in winter, then the activities of the following summer and we're finished. There is still a lot of content to come in those eight chapter though, it's going to be intense(ish) right up until the last chapter. And no there will not be a sequel. I'm sorry I really have to get back to my works in progress.
> 
> -The Trollop


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Discussion of infant mortality! It's a well noted fact that pups sometimes die during their first shift. Further discussion of that happens here and it's got a lot to do with next chapter( no worries nobody is dying). You'll see why this is an appropriate discussion if you choose to read but I'm telling you it may be sad. I cried but I am super hormonal now so maybe you won't.

 9 weeks later

               Ten miles up a path that zig zags up the mountain side is a small cave opening which doesn’t appear to be much from the outside. It’s hard to find unless you know what you’re looking for. They seldom come up this high in altitude but these visits are always a special occasion. Those of them in their human forms wear long cloaks to keep warm but they still find it chilly. It may be the middle of summer but they’re above the snow line on the mountain. The air is thinner up here. The last two miles involved a lot of panting.

               Their fairly large party took a long time to get up the mountain. This group is made up of the pups who have yet to make their first shift, their parents, and a few people, including Peggy, who wanted to come to their destination for personal reasons. Bucky and Steve are there as the leaders of the expedition.

               The twenty or so pups that came with them were hard to wrangle up the mountain side. The adults had to stop every few minutes to make sure all were accounted for. After a few miles, some mothers had to lash the smallest of the pups to their chests so the babies could rest. Now that they’ve reached their destination, all of the pups are exhausted along with their poor mothers and fathers. The nursing omegas have all found spots to lie on their sides and feed their pups while they all get a bit of a rest. Clint is busy doing that so Natasha has made herself useful by giving out food and water to the families in his stead. Steve and the wolves who are not nursing did the tough job of being the pack animals this trip. They carried their supplies up the mountain in there lupine form with a special bag slung over their backs. Now the First Alpha and Omega are taking care of their next small obstacle.

                Inside the mouth of the cave is a door that was carefully constructed a century before English settlers set foot on the continent. The location of their settlements have changed many times over the millennia that their kind has lived in North America, but this place has never been moved. The door is ancient and heavy. They are so high up in altitude that the wood has hardly decayed despite its age. Steve treats the barrier with due respect as he prepares to open it.

                Bucky watches The First Alpha roll the dials on a special lock that is embedded in the door. The dials are difficult to move because of their age and the cold, but Steve is managing it. The combination is in symbols not numbers. Bucky makes a note of what it is so that he can take people up here later if Steve is not with him.

                When Steve enters the correct combination, the door makes a loud thud which Bucky interprets meaning the lock is open. “Now comes the hard part.” Steve huffs as he takes hold of the handle. He glances at Bucky. “You might want to step back, I don’t want to hit you.” He winks.

                The omega gives him a skeptical look and takes a few steps away until he’s confident he won’t get hit by Steve or the door, just in case Steve suddenly gains the ability to move a door three times his body weight fast enough to surprise him. His hand settles on his heavy stomach while he takes in the cave and the door. His appreciation of the scenery gets cut short when Steve’s flexing arms draws all of his attention. Bucky wishes he’d been a little less lazy this morning so they would have had time to fuck. He loves those arms bared around his shoulders when he’s got his legs around Steve’s waist and Steve’s thick cock plunging in and out of his ass. Bucky bites his lip as memory gives rise to even filthier fantasies. His train of naughty thoughts gets cut short by a loud creak from the door.

                 One firm yank dislodges the door from where it’s sat unopened since the last visitors came. Steve pulls a little more until there is enough room for him to reach inside the door and grasp a hook.

                 “Buck, did you get the rope from our gear?” Steve asks his bondmate over his shoulder.

                 Bucky gestures to where he’s already put together the winch that opens the door all the way.

                 “Oh.” Steve gives his omega an impressed, lopsided grin. “Good job.”

                 Bucky rolls his eyes and hands Steve the end of the rope. The alpha ties it off and begins cranking on the winch. Steve opens it until there is enough room for a person to get through comfortably. “More?” Steve asks. Bucky nods. Why not? When opened all the way, the door is six feet wide. Bucky’s nose wrinkles. It smells weird inside.

                 “Let’s let it air out for a few minutes.” Steve throws an arm over Bucky’s shoulders as the couple turns to go back to the group. Bucky looks into the mysterious cave again before going with Steve. He couldn’t see anything anyway.

                 “Next year, I open the door by myself.” Bucky informs his bondmate. “But thank you for your help.” He kisses Steve’s neck affectionately.

                 “You’re welcome. Thanks for not trying to do that yourself. That thing probably weighs seven hundred pounds.”

                 “I could do it. It just wouldn’t be good for the precious cargo.” Bucky shrugs. Steve glances down at the rather impressive size of said cargo. The feeling of satisfaction he gets from this is written all over his smug face. Bucky elbows him playfully.

                 “What?!” Steve laughs.

                 “Shut up. I’m fat, I know.” Bucky mumbles in feigned bitterness.

                  Steve raises his eyebrows and shakes his head. “Not even gonna go there.” The discussion of Bucky’s pregnant body is a big no-no topic. Despite his assurance that he is not fat, just whelping, Bucky does not believe him nor does he take kindly to Steve’s defense of his waistline.

                  Bucky grunts his approval and sits down on a rock. He braces his back as he lowers himself. Steve’s hand hovers over his shoulder nervously. Bucky gives him a warning glare reminding him not to baby him. Steve takes his hand away reluctantly, it only twitches forward twice when he almost changes his mind. Bucky keeps his glare up as he takes his time sitting. Once he’s down, he gestures at the rock.

                  “There I did it myself!” Bucky announces. Some of the families look up at them curiously. Clint doesn’t move because he doesn’t hear. He can’t wear his hearing aids in lupine form which is why he spends so little time this way. Natasha nudges him with her foot to let him know Bucky and Steve are being cute. He looks up from his nursing pups uninterestedly. The charm of alphas being dumb wore off during his own pregnancy. Steve is just obnoxious to him. He puts his head back down.

                  The playful, mushy teasing that follows is at least mildly intriguing to the onlookers who really have very little to do while the pups get their fill. After ten minutes of waiting around they finally decide the cave will be slightly less smelly now.

                  Steve goes in first to make sure that there is no debris or collapses. They’ve never had a part of the cave collapse before but they suppose it is possible. Steve doesn’t see a problem so he gets the torches and tells everyone to line up.

                  The visitors gather up the things they brought it their gear. Some brought little sculptures which are supposed to by members of the family, a few brought interesting trinkets like odd branches and nicely colored stones. Every family that came brought flowers for their offerings. Most of them shift to their human form so they can carry their pups to keep them from wandering. Steve lights the torches and gives them to people he knows will be going in different directions. He carries one himself when he leads the group inside.

                  The cave is vast. Now that Bucky can see he realizes the roof of the cave quickly goes from being only eight feet to twenty feet tall with walls almost as widely set apart. Lining the sides of the cave are shelves that continue along as far as Bucky can see. Side by side on every shelf sit balled up pelts which contain the bones of their ancestors. This is the place where the wolves of past generations are kept so that their families can come visit.

                  Although today’s event is focused on offering tribute to ask the ancestors to protect the pups, members of the pack come up here whenever they want to say hello to their deceased loved ones. Their ancestors are considered intermediaries between The Earth Mother and The Mountain Lords whose whims shape the world around them. The ancestors are said to influence these higher beings so if you tell them what you need they will help in return for being kept in mind.

                  Bucky has read a lot about their religious practices but he’s not sure what he thinks of it personally. He likes the idea of having the dead watch over them, but he’s not so sure if they’ve been particularly good at influencing anyone on his behalf. Steve is much more optimistic. He brought flowers and a drawing that he made of Bucky to give to his mother and father.

                  Steve stops when he comes to a fork in their path. “So you all know where you’re going right?” Bucky is the only one who is coming here for the first time besides the babies. The group nods or says yes. “We’ll meet back outside in an hour so that we can get home in time for dinner. Let’s go.”

                  Bucky waddles past the rows of pelts curiously. “How do they know where to put everyone? There are no labels?” He asks Steve.

                  “We group everyone by family. When we exhume the bones we put them next to whoever has been there the shortest period of time, by family of course.”

                  Bucky stops in his tracks when the pass a pelt ball that is smaller than his head. The little bundle must have belonged to a pup no older than a year. He stays frozen in horror as he takes in the sight. Steve lets him process while he stays by his side. The alpha reaches out and strokes the baby’s pelt lovingly.

                  “We lost this one to their first shift.” Steve explains. This is why they are here. To beg their ancestors to spare their pups from this fate.

                  “Why?” Bucky chokes. He reaches out his shaking hand to join Steve’s. He gingerly feels the fur between his fingers but has to take his hand away to hold himself instead. Dismay and fear make him feel sick. “Why wouldn’t they protect one this small? What could it have possibly done to deserve to go like this?”

                  Steve shakes his head. “I don’t know Buck. You’re asking me questions nobody has the answers to. My ma used to tell me that the ancestors sometimes meet a pup they love so much that they want it to be with them right away. They say they’re just too good for this world, they belong in eternal peace instead.”

                  “That’s crap!” Bucky spits. “This is someone’s baby, someone loved this pup as much as I love my pups now. That’s not fair!” Tears slip down Bucky’s cheeks as he just gets angrier and angrier.

                  “I know.” Steve nods. He moves the torch over a bit so they can see the big pelt next to the little one. “They’re right here. This is the mother.” Steve moves his hand to pet this one. “I know it’s terrible to lose a pup too soon but look.” Steve gestures between the mother and baby. “They are right here next to each other in the end.” He gestures down the line at all of the pelts lined up. “You can’t tell as easily, but each one of these is right next to their mother too. We always put our lost ones next to their mother.” Steve walks down the line a little ways back towards where they came from. “These are all littermates.” He puts his hand on the next one. “And this is their mother. You see, in the grand scheme of things we always end up together for eternity. No matter what.” The alpha smiles hopefully.

                   Bucky’s breath shudders as he wipes at his eyes. “But then what about me? I don’t know where I come from? Where is my ma? Won’t she miss me?”

                   Steve smiles weakly. “Well your ma is still alive we’re just having trouble finding her for you.”

                   Bucky huffs. “What?” He hiccups.

                  Steve scratches the back of his neck. “Your ma is still alive but she lives in a pack back in the country she came from. It’s in a place called Siberia and we’ve had some trouble getting a message to her. When Big Brook Pack dissolved and you were still missing, her folks convinced her to take your siblings and go home to her family. The humans are working on contacting her, it’s just taking time.”

                  Bucky sniffles. “She’s alive?” He doesn’t remember his mother at all but his own impending motherhood is making him think about the concept of her often. “And you’ve been trying to find her for me?” His voice cracks.

                  “Yeah.” Steve pulls him against his chest with one arm, holding the torch away with the other. “We’ll find her soon, don’t worry. I didn’t know you cared. You’ve never asked about your family.”

                  “I kinda got mixed feelings on the topic.” Bucky wipes his eyes. “But thanks. I appreciate it.” Bucky realizes in a split second that he’s doing this at the worst possible time. His emotions are driving him nuts. He’s too hormonal for this shit. “I’m sorry, I’m being so dumb! Let’s go see your ma!”

                  “Okay, good idea.” Steve chuckles. They leave a few flowers for the pup before they go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our top story today is the two kittens I am babysitting. They are so stinking cute. They are about three weeks old. I am a cat aunt and I love it.
> 
> This burial thing is adapted from Peruvian mummy balls. Ancestor worship is a thing in rural Peru( at least where my professor studies, idk about big cities and other towns). It's common to keep the skulls of your ancestors in your house to watch over you and the home when you're not there. I decided to put them in another location for reasons. I have actually put wwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaayyyyyy to much thought into their religious practices and burial traditions so if you have q's feel free to ask.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: A baby's life is threatened by a naturally occurring phenomena. This my be disturbing to some people and will probably be sad for everyone. It's okay though. I AM NOT THE KIND OF AUTHOR WHO KILLS CHILDREN! No lasting damage, I promise, bare with me.

                   Bucky doesn’t really listen to Steve enthusiastically explain to his parents all that’s happened since the last time he visited. Steve has the same color fur as his parents… and his three siblings. Bucky had no idea Steve had siblings. Each of their bundles is pup sized. Steve was the only one who lived into adulthood. He can’t imagine that. Does Steve remember them? He must have been so little when they died.

                  “Buck? You’re quiet.” Steve puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. Bucky shakes his head at the baby bundles.

                  “Is it normal to lose so many?” Bucky’s voice cracks.

                  “No!” Steve pulls Bucky to his chest. “No it’s not normal at all, not anymore. There was a sickness in our pack when we were pups.” Steve kisses the top of his mate’s head lovingly. “It was something bad in our water, a metal or something. It made it hard for the omegas to whelp and a lot of the young ones were very sick. I was sick too until the pack left the old settlement. That’s why we left. The humans tested the water and discovered it wasn’t safe to drink.”

                  “But humans live on that land now?” Bucky asks confusedly.

                  “I know. They have filters for their water that takes out what made us sick. They offered to set up a well with a filter for us but we preferred to move.”

                  Bucky nods. That makes sense to him. It also explains why they’ve had such low birth rates for so long. If it was something in their bodies it would take a while to go away. Maybe that’s why Bucky’s different. He was taken away when he was young and given the water the humans drink. Maybe the humans even did something to him.

                  He’s being rude again. They came here for Steve’s family and he’s still freaking out about pups. It makes total sense considering his condition but he’s still missing the point of the trip.

                 “I’m sorry, I’m focusing.” He wipes a tear or two from his eyes.

                 “It’s alright. I think they understand.” Steve chuckles. “My ma always loved you as much as she loved me. I don’t think she’d by offended by you having a heart.”

                 Bucky smiles blearily. “I wish I remembered your ma.” Steve’s told him about how she used to watch over him like he was her own. Sarah was a great mother, Bucky hopes he’ll live up to Steve’s example.

                 Steve pulls the rest of the flowers and the picture out of his satchel. He arranges them nicely between his family. “So ma, dad, pups, I need you to help me and Bucky out with whelping our litter and making sure everybody stays real healthy. We’re gonna do just fine but I want to be extra sure that they’re safe. They’re the most important things I’ve got and I sure would appreciate your protection.”

                 “Me too.” Bucky adds. He looks at Steve. “How do we know their answer?”

                 “We wait and see. They’ll do their best Buck. They’ve never let me down before.” Steve pats the bundles affectionately.

                 “What have you asked for before?” Bucky questions curiously.

                 “Well…” Steve blushes a little. “I actually asked them to find me a mate a few months before you came home. I was pretty lonely and… yeah.” Steve admits bashfully.

                 Bucky grins fiendishly. “You asked your parents to find you a mate?! Steve that’s so silly!”

                 “It worked didn’t it?” Steve bumps him with his shoulder. He addresses his family. “Thank you by the way, I’m too happy for words.”

                 Now Bucky’s blushing. “Yeah, thank you.” Maybe it wasn’t dumb luck that set him free after all? Why not Steve’s ancestor’s spirits fulfilling Steve’s desire for a mate? He likes the idea a lot.

.oOo.

                They start the trek home after an hour of visiting. The pups have their energy back unfortunately. The tired parents struggle to keep them in line. Steve and Bucky do Clint a kindness by carrying Red Pup and Nip Nip. Bucky has the infamous Nipple Nipper cradled against his chest. His thick cloak protects him from the pup’s rooting reflex. Steve and Bucky pass the time by talking.

                “I don’t know, do we really want to name them right when they’re born?” Bucky asks with his lip slightly raised in distaste. “Nobody else names them when they’re born.”

                “Yeah but we have to call them something.” Steve scratches Red Pup’s head as he muses. “I like the idea of our pups being named something a little more um…” He tries to think of how to put it. “Not based on their puphood behavior?”

                Bucky scoffs. “So in other words you don’t want our pups to end up like me or Nip Nip?”

                Steve purses his lips to try and not smile. He speaks very softly and tries not to move his lips so Clint doesn’t know what he’s saying. "Nipple Nipper is about the worst name I’ve ever heard of.”

                “I don’t think it’s permanent.” Bucky mumbles back.

                The pup in his arms starts to wiggle. Bucky figures he probably just wants to be put down. Bucky turns around to looks for where Clint is. Bending over to set the pup down is hard, he’d prefer Clint do it.

                “Hey Clint, can you set him down I think-.” Bucky gets cut off by the pup in his arms letting out a shrill cry. Bucky’s attention snaps down to the pup. The group stops walking. The faces of the parents pale with fear. They know that cry, it haunts their nightmares. Bucky thinks he knows what this is too. His chest rises and falls faster as he turns the baby over in search of any sign that it’s what he fears. His breathing stops entirely when he finds what he was desperately hoping he wouldn’t. Nip Nip has one leg stretched out but it looks odd, the joints aren’t right. The answering scream from Clint nearly breaks Bucky’s heart. Clint is right there next to him taking Nip Nip from Bucky. Natasha and Phil gather around their mate and child fretfully. Natasha looks solemn and Phil is covering his eyes.

                “Baby please no, don’t do this!” Clint begs as the little pup’s other legs start to shift. The six month old is trying to shift into human form. “No! No! Stop, go back!” Clint sobs frantically. He strokes the pups head comfortingly. There is nothing the mother can do.

                This will progress until the pup tries to shift his internal organs and skull. If he fails to do it correctly, which he almost certainly will at this age, he will die. Nip Nip is stuck now, very few pups can undo the shift once it begins.

                Bucky has known this pup since he was practically a newborn. He’s snuggled him and watched over him when his parents were busy. He took him to the fields to play in the grass. Bucky gapes at the tragedy unfolding in front of him feeling hollow. Clint crumbles with his son held to his cheek.

                “Please no! No don’t take him! Not my baby! Not my baby! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please!” Clint pleads to whatever heartless god did this. The pup whimpers for his mother to save him even though there is nothing he can do.

                Bucky can do something. The realization hits him when he hears that little whimper. It’s not a memory, it’s a gut reaction to a stimuli he was subjected to against his will over and over again. The back of his neck throbs painfully even though he hasn’t been hurt like that is years. He knows he was hurt and he knows what the pain did.

                He acts so quickly he doesn’t even explain to Clint why he rips his baby from his arms. He has to act before it’s too late. He spreads the pup on the ground and carefully pins him with his knee. Clint, Natasha, and Phil are screaming at him but Bucky doesn’t listen. He winds his arm up so he can get as much force as possible, then thrusts two fingers with pinpoint accuracy on exactly the point on the pups neck where he was once hit to stop him from shifting into his lupine form. The pup squeaks in pain but the effects of the stabbing act fast.

                Before everyone’s eyes, the pup’s legs recoil to his body into their natural state. The reversion is almost instantaneous and irresistible for a reason Bucky does not understand. Bucky takes his knee away and picks the baby up to sooth his hurt neck. The spot will bruise but the damage is almost inconsequential compared to what it would have been. Bucky glances up at the pups stunned parents as he rubs the little one’s hurt scruff. “He’s okay.” Bucky explains. He holds Nip Nip out for Clint to take.

               Clint’s eyes flood with tears as he takes his son back. “Baby?” He barely squeaks out as he presses their foreheads together. Nip Nip licks his mother’s cheek weakly but enough so that Clint knows he’s okay. Clint tucks his pup between his shoulder and neck where Natasha and Phil can examine him too. Phil is beside himself while Natasha still looks numb.

               Steve gingerly puts a hand on Bucky’s back. Bucky looks over his shoulder at him. Steve is staring at him like he’s the most wondrous thing in the universe. He kneels down so he’s at Bucky’s level.

               “Sweetheart… how did you do that?” He asks, completely awestruck by what he’s just witnessed.

               Bucky feels the back of his neck where the phantom pain still lingers. “I-I don’t know. It’s something they did to me.”

               “Do you have any idea what we could do with this?” Steve asks quietly.

               Bucky doesn’t get to contemplate it. Clint pulls him into a grateful hug the likes of which Bucky has never experienced. Steve has to support his bondmate so the overwhelmed mother doesn’t drag him to the ground. Clint has become hysterical with relief. Bucky holds him and Nip Nip while Clint cries it out. Natasha and Phil sit by their side, taking comfort in their other pups and stroking Clint’s back while he weeps.

               Natasha reaches forward and cups Bucky’s cheek. He’s never seen her smile so warmly. She can’t find the words so she just strokes his cheek. “You saved us.” She finally croaks.

               “Thank you!” Clint bursts as he tries to get his breathing under control. He gently pets his pup where the little one is balled against his neck. “Thank you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! So that was spontaneously dramatic! Look at Bucky being incredible and shit. You're not fooling anyone Bucky, you are definitely a fertility spirit. The fallout from this will be interesting.
> 
> -The Trollop.
> 
> Ps: Check out this stupid thing I wrote a teaser for. http://thenotorioustrollop.tumblr.com/post/133122954974/so-i-may-have-written-a-short-teaser-for-my
> 
> folloe me on tumblr so you get all the deets as they come.


	33. Chapter 33

              As soon as they get back to camp, the leaders of the pack gather in Bucky’s hut to discuss what just happened. Steve went to grab food for everyone before shutting out the curious pack members with a thousand questions. Once the hut is locked up, the group takes food and gets as close to comfortable as possible. Bucky takes his favorite chair, Steve stands next to him, Peggy and Sam stay stand too, and Tony sits in the other chair with a notepad in front of him. Clint sits in the corner with his pups bundled up in his arms. Bucky’s never seen him act so devoted to them before, it’s like he’s a different mother entirely. Clint kisses his pups on the nose and peeps at them even though he can't hear himself. They like it so he does it. Phil and Natasha sit on either side of Clint tending to their family quietly. Bucky doesn’t know how much those three will contribute, they seem to be in their own world.

              “Alright.” Steve begins, addressing his bondmate. “Buck, I need you to tell me everything you know about why you did what you did.” He says it as gently as possible but this is still very uncomfortable for Bucky.

              He doesn’t want to think about Hydra or what they did to him. The humans-or rather just this group- hurt him so badly he can’t remember hardly anything. What does he remember? Sometimes certain things will pop out at him but mostly it’s nothing but the sense of passing time. It was an eternity of pain, that’s his main memory.

              “I don’t…” Bucky nips at his lower lip. He reaches behind himself to feel his neck. “…remember it exactly. I didn’t know I knew until I heard Nip Nip crying. Suddenly I just knew that if you put a lot of pain on this certain spot you could stop a shift.” He’s thought about it a little on their journey home. “I think that’s how they kept me from shifting forms. I had a collar…” The thing that broke when he escaped. “It shocked me when I did something they didn’t like but it did something else…” He thinks very hard about what he saw when he ripped it off his neck. He didn’t examine it because he knew he had to run while he had the chance. He tries to picture the shape of it. “I think there was a little box but that’s it, that’s all I remember about it.” He must have examined it time and time again when it was around his neck. All that memory is lost to him. It makes his gut curl with anger just thinking about all of the information they took from him.  

              “Tony, does that help at all?” Steve asks the omega who is their best bet at understanding the tech side of what Bucky is explaining.

               Tony puffs out air as he fiddles with his pencil. “I’ve heard of electroshock therapy causing loss of memory and violent convulsions in human subjects. In us, violent convulsions might cause the inability to shift. Bucky didn’t shock Nip though, he just what- stabbed him?” Tony asks.

               Bucky tries to mimic what he did so Tony can see. He points at the spot on his own neck which Tony records in his notebook. Steve leans in to look at where Bucky is gesturing. The place is high up, under where Bucky’s hair falls. Steve brushes it away so he can look at the spot.

               “Tony come look at this.” Steve tells the scientist.

               “What is it?” Bucky asks, his heart rate increasing slightly.

               “You have a scar.” Steve tells him. “It’s little, I thought it was a mole before.” It's not normal for their kind to retain marks on their skin for more than a few shifts. The spot might be special or it could have been damaged so badly that that skin doesn't shift at all anymore. Bucky will have to have Steve check. 

               Tony squints at it, trying to make out anything useful about the mark. “So I’m totally guessing here, but I bet there is a nerve right there that is involved in our shift. I’d have to ask Bruce some questions to tell you more. I’m guessing when Bucky stabbed that point he blocked a nerve impulse from the brain that stopped the shift.”

               “Our next step should be to call Bruce.” Peggy suggests.

               Sam looks between Steve and Peggy skeptically. “Really? That should be our next step? I say screw the science. You know whatever Bruce knows Fury knows too. We should call him. You know he knows more than anybody about Hydra’s experiments and tech.”

               The room goes very still at the mention of the new name. Steve’s jaw clenches as he fixes Sam with the angriest glare Bucky has ever seen on his alpha. Bucky really didn’t want to get any further into discussion about the humans, especially Hydra, but this might be important for the future of his pack. His pups could directly benefit from this, so even though he would rather get poked in the eye with a stick, he chooses to go down this path. He puts his elbow on the table and rubs his forehead with his fingertips.

               “Who is Fury?” Bucky asks begrudgingly. Steve’s expression somehow gets even more accusatory.

               “You know, you and I used to be great friends before he showed up.” Sam rolls his eyes. He puts his hands on his hips and addresses Bucky. “He’s the leader of the humans we work with. He knows just about everything there is to know about us and Hydra.” Sam throws a glance at Steve. “That is, except the things you know because Steve has fought tooth and claw to keep him away from you.”

               “Why?” Bucky asks Steve. “I know I said I don’t want to talk about it but if he really needs to know something I wouldn’t keep it from him if it helps somehow.” Bucky would hate every second of it but he’d still do it. He’s accustomed to being forced to do things against his will, if it’s for good it might not be so bad.

               Steve sighs deeply. He affectionately pets Bucky’s head, smoothing a few messy strands. “Because he’s going to ask you to fight for him. He’ll want you to be a weapon for him just like he wanted the rest of us. He’ll want you even more because he knows what you’re capable of.”

               Bucky sits back in his chair and sets his hand on his belly. “But I’m whelping?” Bucky gulps. “He can’t expect me to fight like this can he?” Humans are cruel. Is the one they work with cruel as well? Is that why Steve has kept him away? Can this human force him to fight if he doesn’t want to?

               “No.” Steve says very firmly. “Absolutely not, but he’ll try to guilt you into going on missions as soon as possible. I won’t let him do that to you. That’s why I’ve kept him away.”

               Bucky’s eyes dart around as his mind scrambles to find a reason this Fury could _guilt_ him into fighting. Bucky has been convinced with pain and rewards but never guilt. What could this human possibly know that could make him feel guilty?

               “Why? What does he know that he’d use on me like that?”

               Steve opens his mouth but he struggles to find the words.

               “Come on Steve, he deserves to know. He can take it.” Clint rasps from the corner. The room looks to where Clint sits showering attention on his pups, one of whom would be dead now if it weren’t for Bucky.

               Steve purses his lips, resigning himself to the decision. He can’t keep it from Bucky now. Steve steels his nerves for this, his whole body is tense. Bucky holds his hand out and takes Steve’s.

               “It’s okay. I want to know.” Bucky’s eyes are sad but he too is sure that he’s making the right choice. Even if he can never unlearn this thing, he should know if it’s this important. He’s got Steve and his pups. However bad it is, it won’t matter because he has them. This is what is important not the life that he left behind that day when he escaped into the snow.

                Steve kneels down so he’s on level with Bucky. He takes one more deep inhale and closes his eyes. “They were doing experiments with the tissue samples they took from you.”

                “I know that.” Bucky knew they did something with the things the cut out of him. “But I never learned what.”

                Steve nods. “You’re special Bucky, there’s something about you that’s different from the rest of our kind. Only a few of us from certain families have it in them and none of them are on this continent.” Steve turns Bucky’s hand over and strokes his palm with his other hand. Steve focuses on Bucky’s palm so he doesn’t have to look at his eyes. “Of course, your ma isn’t from here which must have been how you got it. They have different names for it in different packs in Europe and Asia but we don’t have one here. I know about this because I asked Fury when he showed us a video of you in your third form.”

                Bucky stiffens. “You’ve seen that _thing?_ ” He asks, terrified now of what Steve must think of him. But wait a second, he must have known this whole time. Steve has known this whole time and he hasn’t mentioned it once. “Why didn’t you say something?”

                Steve shrugs. “Never seemed important. I figured you would bring it up when you were ready.”

                Bucky takes a second to process what he’s just learned. “I thought they put that _thing_ in me?”

                “No, it was a part of you the whole time. You would have found it eventually even if they hadn’t taken you. It’s a natural side of you Buck. It’s considered a good thing in the folklore from the old world. I’ll tell you the legends later, right now I have to keep talking before I lose my nerve.” Bucky nods, consenting to be told later. Steve takes a firmer hold of Bucky’s hand. “They were using samples to try and put that part of you into humans. It was some kind of program to make better soldiers. It worker but it didn’t turn them into one of us completely. Instead they wound up with people like Bruce that are sort of us but they don’t have a true lupine form like ours. They have this mid-shift looking thing that’s more berserker than soldier. The ones that took to the experiment better are like Bruce but some of them are just monsters.”

                Bucky doesn’t feel good. He doesn’t know what to do with the knowledge. Should he feel bad for the people they turned into monsters? Is he to blame for this because they used a part of him? Where are these things now?

                “What happened to them? How many are there?” Bucky asks before he gets too far ahead of himself.

                “We know they’re still being used as weapons. We don’t know exactly how many but it might be upwards of fifty.”

                “Fifty?” Bucky can’t imagine what kind of damage those things could do. That _thing_ alone is death incarnate.

                “There is more.” Steve squeezes Bucky’s hand tighter to give himself strength as much as Bucky. “They’ve been trying to do the same thing to the pups they stole from us.”

                 There it is. That’s what Fury would use against him. “They…” Bucky starts to shake with anger. “They’ve been using part of me to torture-!” Bucky stands up and throws his chair against the wall. Everyone in the room jumps. The pups start crying. Bucky is starting to hyperventilate. “I need-!” Bucky rushes out the door. Steve follows closely behind.

                “Wait, what are you doing?!” Steve yells. Bucky stops for a second and holds his stomach. He clenches his eyes tightly shut as he shakes his head, trying to expel the panic from it.

                “I just need some space! Just let me get some-!” He shifts over to his lupine form leaving Steve standing there floundering. Once he’s fully shifted into his oddly bulbous lupine self, he plows into the woods without further instructions. Steve tries to follow again but Bucky growls at him.

                “You can’t just leave like this when something upsets you!” Steve protests. Bucky growls back at him, undeterred by his plight. “No! I mean it, don’t you leave me here!” Bucky growls again with more vitriol to it. “Please Buck, you’re my bondmate! How am I supposed to sit here and do nothing when I know you're hurt?!”

                The woods stay quiet for a few moments before the sounds of moving branches and Bucky’s odd gate begins again. Bucky’s head appears under a branch. He looks annoyed but defeated. He gestures for Steve to follow him with a jerk of his head. Steve yips with happiness and shifts in record time. He runs after Bucky, wagging his tail. The First Alpha and Omega disappear into the dark woods together while their friends standby powerless to stop them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dudes, next chapter Eye Patch shows up. Some more shit goes down and then we are so close to being done. I'm excited to finish but sad to see it end, you know? Ugh, love you guys. Hi me up with a comment to tie me over to whenever I get to that update. I feel bad that I don't always answer comments but I ALWAYS read and appreciate them! So even if you don't hear from me, know I still think you is a good one for saying nice things. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	34. Chapter 34

                They spend the night in Bucky’s secret hideaway. The omega hasn’t been there since the first day he came back to the pack. They had to excavate a little so there was enough room for Steve to curl up with Bucky under the tree, but once they finished, the nest became ridiculously comfortable. When dawn broke, Bucky woke up to the usual barrage of kicking on his bladder. He got up to do his business and came back to find Steve awake waiting for him.

                Bucky crawls under the branches of the evergreen and rolls over so he’s on his back. He tucks his single front paw up by his chin as he stretches in the comfortable dip in the earth. He fits perfectly between Steve and the soft dirt walls. After he finishes his stretch he stays on his back.

                Steve watches his bondmate’s stomach rise and fall with his breathing. The pups are moving a lot this morning. Bucky lets out a soft groan in discomfort. Steve whines back to him in solidarity. The alpha takes stock of his bondmate’s pregnant belly and notes that a few new patches of fur are loose. He noses at those spots to see if the fur will come up. It does.

                Bucky looks down at what Steve is doing. His alpha nibbles at the loose fur then licks it up. Bucky has started shedding around his nipples. The fur there is supposed to fall out so the pups can find where to nurse more easily. Steve’s grooming feels nice. Occasionally Steve will accidentally lick one of his nipples which is even nicer. By the time Steve gets down to his lower nipples the pink tip of the omega’s cock protrudes slightly from its sheath. Steve pauses his ministrations to glance up at his bondmate. He gently nudges Bucky’s erection with his wet nose to see what the omega will do.

                Bucky yelps, his feet flail in the air. He’s too precious for Steve to resist. Steve licks him in earnest until the omega’s red penis is fully exposed. Bucky squirms in delight, but as much as he likes this kind of attention he’d appreciate a knot too.

                “Ruuh.” Bucky flicks his tail and tries to show Steve he’d like to be licked under there instead. Steve has dealt with Bucky enough to know his little signals. He refocuses his attention as Bucky commands.

                The whole tree shakes from the force of the Alpha’s quick thrusts when Steve finally flips his bondmate over and mounts him. Bucky does his best to keep the obscene howling to a minimum.

.oOo.

                Once their morning copulation comes to its satisfactory finish, they shift over to their bipedal forms and go for a little walk to talk and maybe find some breakfast. They choose to go in their man forms because Bucky’s front paw hurts from walking so much last night. Steve holds his hand as they wander in no hurry towards a nearby lake.

                “Are you upset that I didn’t tell you sooner?” Steve finally asks.

                Bucky sighs and shrugs one shoulder. “I asked not to be told. What am I supposed to do about it like I am now?” He means while he’s whelping their litter.

                “That will change. The pups will be born in a couple of months and then you can do what you need to do. I’ll support you in whatever that is you know?” Steve tells him.

                Bucky lowers his head and smiles shyly. “How am I ever supposed to be as good to you as you are to me?”

                Steve blushes on the tips of his ears. “Between whelping our litter, resurrecting our pack, and the sex, I think you’ve got it covered.”

                “I-.” Bucky stops. A change in the wind carries an unfamiliar scent that instantly sets him on high alert. “Steve I smell humans.” He lets go of Steve’s hand to protectively cover his belly. Immediately he worries for his pups. Steve wraps an arm around Bucky’s shoulders defensively, pulling him in close. He affectively shields Bucky’s vulnerable middle from the world with their bodies. Steve growls, he smells the foreign scent too.

                “It’s coming from due west, the lake I think.” Steve scents the air for any other information. “Smells like just one and…” He tilts his head, detecting something familiar. “I know them.”

                Bucky frowns. “One of your human contacts?”

                “It think but I can’t place who.” Why a human is intruding in their territory is a question Bucky and Steve intend to have answered. “You should keep your distance incase it’s someone I’ve met that’s not friendly. I’ll go check it out.”

                “Fuck that! I’m not sending you in without backup.” Bucky snarls.

                The alpha rumbles disapprovingly at him. “Bucky what are you going to do? You waddle.” Steve objects.

                “I’m good at few things Steve, killing humans is number one.” Bucky argues. “I’m coming with you, there’s no stopping me.”  

                Steve shakes his head. His instincts are not pleased by this one bit. Still, Bucky’s right he can’t stop him. “Fine.” Steve concedes. “But hang back a little at first so they don’t know you’re there. We’ll call for the pack too. They’ll be here in just a couple minutes.”

                “Sounds good to me.” Bucky likes this plan. He is very good at ambushes. He and Steve shift over to their lupine forms. Steve quickly begins howling to tell the pack about the intruder and their location. A response comes in less than a minute. The pair waits for about two minutes before heading towards the lake. The extra muscle will be there shortly.

.oOo.

                They get within fifteen yards of the human before Steve decides it’s time to make the human identify themselves or else. If they are a friend, which he thinks they are, he’ll know them and they can avoid attacking unnecessarily. He gestures towards some brush that’s closer to where the human scent is coming from. Bucky ‘che’s to him to show his understanding and paws his way to where he can crouch and wait. He looks ridiculous with his heavy belly bulging to one side then the other as he stealthily makes his way along. Steve puts his nose to the ground and snorts. Bucky glares at him over his shoulder indignantly. Steve leans his side on a tree so he doesn’t fall over from snort panting which is the lupine equivalent of riotous laughter. Bucky rolls his eyes at him and hunkers down in position regardless of looking like an overstuffed toy.

                Natasha, Sam, Phil, Clint, and some of their best fighters appear silently around Steve. Steve gets it together fast once they show up. The First Alpha gestures for them to take up their positions like they would if they were hunting prey. Bucky fits nicely into their premade formation. Since they don’t intend to outright slaughter the human if it is a friendly contact, Steve shifts over so he can speak in a language the human will understand.

                Steve makes his declaration in the human language called English. “You’re intruding on our pack’s territory human, tell us who you are or you’ll be treated as an enemy!” And killed, Steve leaves off. Because if he doesn’t know this person, he will kill them to defend Bucky and their litter.

                There is a brief pause. “Shut the fuck up! You’re scaring the fish!” The human yells back at them.

                Bucky looks at Steve. That was not the kind of response he was expecting. Steve decompresses before his eyes. The alpha rubs his forehead.

                Bucky cocks his head. He points his snout to the angry human then to Steve. The gesture in this context means, _‘_ you know this person? _’_

                “Yes.” Steve grumbles in answer. “Come on, I’ll talk to him. You stay out of sight for a minute until we know what he wants. He’s not dangerous, just an asshole.” He says in their language so even if the human hears him he won’t understand that Bucky’s there. Humans usually interpret their language as nonsense growling and barks.

                Bucky cocks his head again and flaps his ears. The intentional ear flap is their symbol for ‘identify’. He asks it twice because Steve is being evasive.

                Steve silently approaches his bondmate and gives his side and head a good pet before answering. “Fury.” He finally tells him.

.oOo.

                Steve walks out of the forest looking pissed off but not like he intends to eat anyone. The wolves waiting in the forest have all sat down to watch, certain they won’t be attacking this human. Fury stands out in the lake in a pair of waders. He’s using one of the odd human contraptions they use to hunt fish. The human wears a hat adorned with several decorative hooks. A cooler sits on the shore next to a tackle box and a knapsack which smells like lunch.

                “I love this lake.” Fury says before Steve makes a sound. It has always unnerved the alpha how good this human’s senses are. He’s accustomed to humans being quite dull. “Best bass fishing anywhere. No other humans get to fish here and you guys don’t eat fish, so they’re all mine.” He uses the stick to throw his string a long ways out into the water.

                “Do you want something besides fish?” Steve crosses his arms.

                “I got an interesting call yesterday from Tony telling me that the guy I’ve been looking for is living with you. I don’t blame you for hiding him but you know it’s better for everybody if we talk.”

                Steve’s jaw ticks. “You’re going to try to recruit him.”

                “Maybe. Depends.”

                “On what?”

                “If he wants to be recruited.” Fury answers as he begins to turn the little wheel thing attached to the stick contraption.

                “I think he’s still deciding.” Steve glances at the forest where Bucky is hiding. “But whatever his choice is, he can’t do anything for at least a couple of months.”

                “Congratulations. Do you know how many yet?” Fury asks. Steve is a little unnerved that Fury knows about the litter.

                “Um… no. The second banding isn’t for a few more weeks. How did you know about that?”

                “I have my ways. I’m in the business of knowing, Steve. You should be familiar with that by now. So when do I get to talk to him?”

                “I’m still making up my mind.” Steve answers, now getting more defensive.

                “I’m not just looking to take information, I’ve got plenty to trade in return. I’m sure he’d love to know about his family, his third form, and who’s responsible for kidnapping and enslaving him for fifteen years. I’d want to know at least that last part myself.”

                Bucky does want to know. He wants to know all of that. He steps out from the forest cautiously. The pack unexpectedly moves with him. Bucky looks around at them. It takes a second for him to realize what they’re doing. They circle around him, guarding him at all side, protecting their First Omega and his litter. Steve turns to look at him worriedly. The pack’s protective gesture eases his tension slightly. Bucky takes a few seconds to shift over to human form before he walks up to his bondmate’s side. He gracefully accepts Steve pulling him in close where Steve can encircle him in his arms. In synchronization, the pack moves forward to reform their perimeter around their leaders.

                Bucky takes a deep breath. “You wanna talk to me? Let’s talk.”

                Fury turns around and takes off his hat. Bucky didn’t see it before when he was facing the water, Fury has three scars on his face around his left eye which is covered by an eyepatch. The scars are undoubtedly from a fight with one of his kind. Bucky knows those are teeth marks. Whatever made those marks was big, bigger than even Steve’s mouth in his lupine form.

                “Nice to see you again.” Fury points at the eyepatch. “Last time I saw you with both eyes.”

                “Sorry. I was under orders.” Bucky doesn’t remember attacking this human specifically but he has no doubt he’s the one responsible for the injury.

                “That’s alright, I get it. They would have killed you if you’d disobeyed.” Fury waves it off dismissively. “It’s been about six years, I’m over it.” He human wades out of the water. “You wanna take this somewhere where I can sit down to enjoy lunch?”

                “I’m not taking you back to our settlement.” Steve informs him curtly.

                “Ah hell no, I don’t want to go to that place. It smells like crap.” He begins disassembling his fish hunting stick. “I’ve got my own camp half a mile around the lake, we’ll talk there.”

                “Alright but we’re bringing our friends.” Steve insists.

                “Fine by me, but they better not eat my dogs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SSOOO Civil War trailer came out about thirty minutes ago. And hot damn. I mean, god damn. How am I supposed to function like a normal human with so much Bucky in the world? I am aflutter. 
> 
> I'm also super fucking busy which I why this update took forever. Oh well, some of my favs take months to update so I guess it could be worse. I was originally going to have more happen in this chapter but I cut it off here because it was getting long. I'm super excited to write the final chapter now because it's going to be so damn badass and cute. 
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving if you're in the US!
> 
> -The Trollop


	35. Chapter 35

                Bucky and Steve follow Fury in their man forms with two escorts from the pack. The rest of their posse go in their lupine forms to inspect where Fury is leading their First Alpha and Omega. Fury walks with them at Bucky’s pace. Steve stands between the two men, making sure to keep one hand gently resting on Bucky’s hip opposite from him. The omega finds Steve’s hand’s placement very comforting since he cannot hold himself on his left side.

                “Did you bring any backup with you?” Steve asks the human.

                “Yeah, just one. You remember Hill, don’t you?”

                “I do.” Steve isn’t sure he believes Fury truly is unaccompanied besides one person. Fury picks up on this.

                “I’m not your enemy. I don’t feel the need to defend myself against you. I’d like it if you would consider not being so defensive yourself.”

                “I don’t trust humans with my bondmate, period.” Steve tells him. Bucky smiles lopsidedly and kisses Steve under the jaw. Steve nuzzles him in return.

                “Well aren’t you two adorable.” Fury says in a tone Bucky doesn’t like. “You sure didn’t waste much time getting together after you were reunited.” He notes.

                “I was looking for a mate, Bucky is all I could ever ask for. I don’t see why waiting would be beneficial.” Steve answers curtly.

                Bucky angry-purs on the other side of Steve. This human has no right to insinuate his relationship with Steve was impulsive. “If you’re trying to make me like you, questioning the one thing I’m sure I got right is not the way to do it.” Bucky informs Fury. His angry voice is more intimidating than his ridiculous growl.

                “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong here. Damn you wolves are touchy, is this just a ‘me thing’ or do you go around picking fights twenty four seven?” Fury squawks.  

                “You’ve caught us at a tense time.” Steve informs the human. “If you’d please just say what you need to say so we can move on, that would be lovely.”

                “Alright, fine.” Fury shifts his tackle box so that it’s under his arm to free up a hand. He reaches into one of the many pockets on his vest and produces a pouch made of leather. He folds it open and holds out a shiny badge for Bucky to inspect. Steve takes it and gives it to Bucky. It bothers the alpha to have Fury holding something towards his mate. Bucky looks it over as they walk. “My name is Nicholas J Fury and I am the director of the military branch of Fish and Game Services. We call ourselves the Howling Commandos but that’s more of a bad joke than an official title. We’ve been in the business of working with your species since the United States first became aware of you back at the turn of the 20th century.”

                “Steve worked with you?” Bucky asks. He gives Steve the badge to return to Fury.

                “Yep, he was the leader of the Howlies for a few years. Youngest one to ever run the team but probably the best. I’m having a hard time replacing him.”

                “I’m not coming back.” Steve interjects. “Not now that I have a family to protect at home.”

                “There are all kinds of places you can protect your family. Some of them, more to the point than others.” Fury muses. “But I respect your decision. You gave your all to kicking ass in the name of freedom, if you want to settle down, you are entitled to that.”

                “Then why come here?” Steve snaps.

                “Because I think Bucky knows things no other living person on our side knows. Locations of bases, names, faces, things you were never supposed to be able to repeat. Is that true?”

                Bucky cups the underside of his stomach, trying to take some weight off his lower back. “Yeah, I know things.” He scarred their faces into his brain so deep that they could never take them from him. He may have forgotten his own name but he knows the names and faces of the men who are responsible for his treatment. “You can have them but on my terms.” Bucky grunts. A particularly willful pup gives his lowest left rib a good kick. “How much further to camp?”

                “Not far, just around this point here.” Fury informs him.

                “Good. I need to sit.” And pee, the longer he stays upright the more he needs to pee. Bucky waddles a little faster. The quicker he moves the more absurd he looks. Steve struggles to keep contact with his bondmate.

                “Buck?” Steve follows after him anxiously.

                “I’m fine, just hurry!” Bucky insists.

                A series of growls alerts them that there is trouble ahead. Bucky comes to a reluctant stop. Steve gets in front of him, protectively shielding him from whatever the pack is warning them about. The two wolves who were escorting them go ahead to see what it is.

                “Anything else you’d like to mention before I assume this is a trap?” Steve asks the human angrily.

                “Hey, I don’t know what this is about.” Fury argues. He cups his hand around one side of his mouth. “Hill?! What the fuck is goin’ on here?”

                “Sir, it’s the dogs!” A female voice yells back.

                Bucky sniffs, the wind isn’t in a favorable direction but he quickly detects them once he concentrates. Bucky doesn’t quite think ‘dog’ when he picks up these particular scents. This is something a lot more ‘family’ than any simple pet. These scents combine to create the better half of what he used to associate with home. Bucky draws in a breath, his whole expression lightening up.

                The pregnant omega darts around Steve and charges through the short spans of woods that separates him and Fury’s camp. The pack is waiting for them on the edge of the forest. They have their hackles raised, intently focused on something in between them and Fury’s camp. Bucky bypasses the line of wolves that were aiming to protect him.

                Standing prone and eager for a fight are three of the biggest, meanest dogs ever to live. These things were bred from the lines of the most aggressive breeds to create perfectly trained weapons in canine form. Each of them are armed with titanium capped teeth. Each animal weighs close to a hundred pounds and can sprint nearly thirty miles an hour. Unlike some military dogs, they can be controlled but they have never been anyone’s pet. There has only been one thing they have felt comradery with besides each other, he happens to have just appeared out of nowhere.

The vicious attack dogs spot Bucky and instantly melt. They whine and begin wagging their tails. One of them gets up on his hind legs and does a little dance. The three beasts scamper forward to love on the omega that has known them since they were newborn puppies.

                Bucky struggles to squat down so he can be licked in the face by his friends. They yip happily to him as Bucky struggles to keep his balance and pet all three of them at the same time. Bucky starts to cry. He thought they would have been killed. These dogs are killers, humans kill animals that kill humans. Why on earth does Fury have them now? The dogs lick his warm tears away and rub all over him. Bucky realizes this is the first time he’s ever gotten to hug them properly. They were always separated by a tight chain-link fence and bars. They used to sleep with their backs against each other, their fur poking through the barrier. Bucky licks them back but less affectively because of his limited tongue range.

                The lupine pack members stare, unable to make sense of this situation.

                Bucky wipes the fur out of his mouth with the back of his hand. “Steve! Come meet my friends!” Bucky calls.

                The alpha stands a few feet behind him looking wary of the attack dogs. “You… these are your friends?”

                “Yes! They were raised in the cell next to mine, they’ve kept me company since before they were weened. Come say hello!” Bucky laughs. He puts a hand on the ground so he can brace himself while he sits. The dogs circle him and then lay down with some part of them touching Bucky. They nuzzle at him for attention.

                Steve approaches cautiously and kneels down. The dogs growl at him. One of them bares their teeth.

                “Sammy, no.” Bucky pushes the dog’s nose down. The dog looks at him, confused. “This is my bondmate Steve, I trust him.” He rubs his belly, showing off his bump to his friends like any proud mother might. “These are his pups. Do you understand ‘pups’?” The dogs sniff at where Bucky rubs. Their wet nose twitch as they inspect. “Yes, pups.”

                “This one is named Sammy?” Steve asks.

                Bucky beams at him. “Yes, that’s Sammy. The black one is Reese and the dark brown one is Burt.”

                “Who named them?” Steve raises a hand to pet them but decides against it. They trust Bucky like a sibling but they might take his hand off.

                “I did, I think. I don’t remember exactly.” Bucky goes back and forth between scratching each of their jowls.

                “They love you.” Steve observes.

                “And not much else.” Fury adds as he leisurely approaches from the woods. “That includes me. I like their style and they like being fed, that is the basis of our relationship. If I ever forget to feed them, I have no doubt what’s going to be lunch. Until then they’re the best security a man could ask for. We found them chowing down on dead hydra soldiers. You wouldn’t happen to know about that do you?”

                “I let them out when I got free. They helped me take down some of the guards.” Bucky explains. “They were always more loyal to me than their handlers. They used to send us into battle together.”

                “Why didn’t you bring them with you?” Fury asks. He sets his cooler and tackle box down by a small campsite next to two good sized tents. A canopy looms over a table and some assembled folding chairs. There is some electronic equipment on the table and a few sturdy looking cases. The woman Fury must have been talking to stands by the table watching him. She looks calm externally but Bucky can sense her fear of him. Good, at least one of these dumb monkeys gets it.

                “I didn’t want them to be eaten.” The omega explains simply.

                Steve scoffs. “We would not have eaten them if they were your friends!” He gives the three dogs another appraising glance. He raises one eyebrow. “I’m not sure we could have if we tried.”

                Bucky snorts and pushes Steve’s shoulder. Burt growls and nuzzles the hand to occupy it where it belongs (giving him pets). Steve growls back proprietarily before he can stop himself. All three of the dogs begin growling at once.

“No!” Bucky commands. The dogs go silent. Bucky grunts as he leans forward to kiss Steve and rub their checks together affectionately. The show of intimacy is good enough to settle it. The dogs calm down and accept that Steve is important to Bucky. Once the tension has abated, Bucky redirects his focus to the human who made this reunion possible. “You’re taking good care of them?”

                “Best I’m able.” Fury answers. He sets his fish hunting tools down and opens a plastic bin filled with files. “I’m still working on fetch.”

                Bucky nods, a small smile gracing his features. “Thank you.”

                “Not a problem. If there is anything else I can do for you, I’d be more than happy to help.” Fury replies.

                Now that Bucky’s finally calm and secure again, his body’s natural functions seem a lot more urgent. Really, really, REALLY urgent! He looks from the dogs to Steve to Fury quickly as if one of these will give him an answer. “Is there some place where I can go piss?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo! Shit that was hard to write while simultaneously trying to finish up the semester and also starting up a new rp style story with a friend! And guess what!? It's a double update! 
> 
> -The Trollop


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Gory scene described. You can avoid reading about it by just not reading the part that happens during the video It's just a couple of paragraphs.

                Returning from the woods after evacuating his bladder feels very strange because of the looks he gets from the humans. Humans are unusually private animals when it comes to that sort of thing. The settlement has a large pit where everyone goes when the need arises. No one is alarmed by two or more people being there at once. Humans get so defensive about it, as if they don’t all shit and piss too.

                His bondmate was waiting from him with his back leaned against a tree with the dogs sitting at his feet. Just before he spotted Bucky, Steve was an anxious mess. The moment he realized his bondmate had returned Steve snapped back to normal. “You okay?” Steve asks as he approaches. Bucky must have took longer than he thought.

                “Fine, it’s just weird because I can’t see _it_ anymore.” Bucky chuckles. Steve grins next to him and puts a hand on his lower back.

                Fury and his comrade named Hill are sitting at in the chairs under the canopy. “Would you like to sit down so we can get on with our conversation?” The human asks.

                “Yeah.” Even if only to sit down. Bucky waddles over to the canopy with Steve by his side. The dogs follow them happily.

                Bucky sits down in the fabric sling chair. He wraps his arm around his belly, giving the underside a good rub. He can no longer see from his navel to about his mid-thigh regardless of whether he sits or stands. The chair is a little uncomfortably deep, like he needed to have his core any more smooshed together. Steve stands next to him with his feet apart and shoulders squared.

                Fury sits on the other side of the folding table with a computer and some files. He looks through a few of them to check what they are and then pushes one towards Bucky. Bucky takes it and opens it. He’s glad to see there are lots of pictures. He can’t read human but the subject of the file is unmistakable. It’s him, or at least one form of him.

                “I mentioned that I’d tell you about your family but I figured we’d start with this part first. Have you ever seen picture of yourself like that before?” Fury questions.

                Bucky flips through the first couple of pages. “No, not really.” He tries to hold the file in such a way that Steve can’t see. He doesn’t want Steve to think of him like this. This horrible _thing_ may be natural but it’s still monstrous. Bucky dearly hopes he didn’t pass it on to his pups.

                “Buck?” Steve strokes his head twice then rests his hand on Bucky’s cheek. The self-conscious omega closes the file. Bucky barely moves his head to look up at Steve, frightened by what the alpha might think. “Baby it’s okay.” Steve kneels down next to him. “I’ve seen the file before, and the videos. I saw all this before I realized it was you. Remember?”

                “I know… I just wish you hadn’t.” Bucky sighs. He closes the file and sets it on the table. He rests his hand on his distended stomach and looks a Fury. “So what is that _thing_?” He asks the human.

                Fury shrugs and folds his hands on the edge of the table. “It’s kind of hard to say really. We humans have all kinds of stories about your species but it’s hard to distinguish which stories are about the regular population and which are about special cases like you. In Argentina they call your species ‘lobisón’, in Finland it’s 'vironsusi', the Vikings called you ‘Úlfhéðnar’, and in certain parts of Central Asia you go by ‘Kurtadam’. The ancient Greeks called you ‘lykánthropos’ which is why in English we call you ‘Lycanthropes’ or ‘Lycans’ for short. It translates roughly to ‘Wolf-Man’.” He points at Bucky with his fingers still loosely laced together. “For you though, we have a special name.”

                Fury turns the laptop around so Bucky can see and presses play. On the screen, black and white footage from a body camera shows a long dark tunnel with limited visibility because of smoke. Someone must have launched a smoke grenade or something similar. The video is combined with audio from the wearer of the camera’s mic. A commanding officer is giving a group of soldiers orders to do a complete sweep. There are no other soldiers visible in the tunnel, this solider must be on point.

                “This footage was taken eight years ago in an underground base in northern Canada.” Hill explains. “This was a Black Ops mission in response to US weapons tech being stolen by Hydra. We hadn’t gotten involved yet before this footage was found.”

                A brief reflection off of a pair of googles is all that proceeds the appearance of the beast in front of the camera. It comes in low from the left corner of the tunnel, just under where any suppressive fire would have been aimed. The light from the camera illuminates the straps on it’s bullet proof jacket as the creature uses it’s inch and a half long fangs to rip out the throat of the soldier. The camera is splashed with blood. The audio carries the sounds of the man’s screams of agony which are quickly cut off when the creature bites completely through his larynx.

                The footage switches to another camera, this time mounted on a helmet. The soldiers are panicking, shooting each other on accident rather than their target. None of them were trained for this. The _thing_ darts between them running it’s claws through arteries wherever they present themselves. Bucky counts nine soldiers dead in three seconds. The footage jumps to four different cameras to catch as much as possible but at no time is there ever a perfect image of exactly what is attacking the men. It looks like it has the body structure of a man but it’s haunting maw is absolutely not human.

                They always kept a muzzle on him because even if someone got nipped the damage was extraordinary. He’s got one of the strongest bite strengths of any animal because of the way his jaw is set. In the video, his snout is not as long as it is in his lupine form but his jaw muscles are much bigger than they would be in his man form. His teeth are similar to his lupine form but on a much larger, more pronounced scale. They fit together like scissors.

                 In the final scene, a body camera on one fallen solider captures the creature bent over another dead man eating his internal organs. A shrill sound echoes through the tunnel. The creature jerks it’s head towards it. Blood drips from it’s face which now glistens with gore. It noshes it’s teeth and disappears, moving too fast for the camera to show more than a blur.

                 “We now call the creature on this footage, and any human that has been altered with the DNA of this animal, a ‘Werewolf’. Werewolves, by our definition, are Lycans that have more than two forms or humans that have more than one. Two weeks after this footage was shot, I wound up on the phone with the President of the United States explaining to him that Lycans are a thing but I had no idea what the hell was on this footage. I promised him I’d find out and ever since then I’ve been assembling all of the information there was to be had on the creature in this footage and about Hydra, the group we knew was related to it. Do you remember that mission?” Fury asks Bucky.

                 “No.” He answers flatly. “I don’t remember most of my missions because getting me in and out of my cages and gear involved electrocuting me over and over again.” Bucky points at his head. “It fucked with my brain.”

                 “But it kept you from shifting…” Fury smiles and slowly nods his head. He looks very satisfied. He finally has his answer after years of thinking about it. “I always wondered how they did it. Seemed like you could have just slipped the collar by turning human, but if a shock stopped the shift, you wouldn’t be able to.”

                 “Pretty much. They glued an electrode to the back of my neck and kept my collar so tight I could hardly eat.” Bucky explains.

                 “How long have you known that information?” Hill asks.

                 “Since I saw my friend’s pup try to shift yesterday. Steve told me I have a scar on the back of my neck. I remember now that’s where they attached the electrode.”

                 “How did you know stabbing the pup’s neck would work?” Fury inquires. Someone must have explained what he did already.

                 “I didn’t.” Bucky admits. “But I had to try.”

                 Fury bobs his head thoughtfully and looks at Hill. “We should have our guys find all of the recovered collars that we’ve got and give them to Tony. He might be able to make something for the pups to wear that will keep them safe and not hurt them like the collar Bucky wore.” Fury glances back at The First Alpha and Omega. “If that’s alright with you two of course?”

                 “I’m more than alright with that!” Steve responds. Bucky nods his consent as well but less exuberantly.

                 “What about the pups Hydra still has?” Bucky asks firmly.

                 “I was under the impression you didn’t want to get involved with our current missions.” Fury tells him, Bucky hates when humans are evasive.

                 “And I told you I had information for you but under my conditions. My conditions are simple: You tell me everything you’re doing to end Hydra, return our pups, and kill the freaks that Hydra tainted with that _thing,_ and I’ll let you know when I want to be personally involved.”

                 Fury smiles like he’s just been given the best gift ever. “So you _are_ looking to be recruited.”

                 “Bucky!?” Steve squeezes Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky turns his head to look at his bondmate. “Are you sure? You don’t owe anyone anything, this doesn’t have to be your life anymore.”

                 Bucky smiles softly at Steve. “Yes it does.”

                 “Why?” Steve whines to him. He strokes his fingers through Bucky’s hair.

                 “Because whether they made it in a lab or not, Hydra turned me into that _thing_ in the footage. Deep down, I’m a killer of men and I’m the best. I want the life we’re making with the pack and our pups and especially us, but I can’t just forget that old life happened either. They are going to pay for what they’ve done to me and our kind with their lives.”

                 “This is revenge Buck, revenge doesn’t end well.” Steve shakes his head.

                 “It’s more than that. I’m content to let the humans deal with the organization as long as it’s being done right. But as a mother and a leader of our pack, I can’t know that there is something to be done for innocent pups and ignore it.”

                 Steve bites his lip, nodding that he understands that. “Do you think you know where to find some of them?” Steve asks.

                 “I know where some of the Assets are kept. The pups could be in one of those places.” Bucky tells his bondmate.

                 “Then tell Fury everything you know so the humans can look while you’re still whelping. I don’t care if you hate me, but I am not letting you go on any crazy missions while you’re pregnant, so get that out of your head right now!”

                 Bucky snorts. “Steve…” He pulls his head forward and kisses him. “You know I wouldn’t.”

                 “No I don’t! I don’t know anything!” Steve groans. Bucky grins. The alpha leans forward and wraps his arms around his bondmate as best as he can while he’s in the chair. He kisses Bucky’s temple and rests his mouth there as he inhales his comforting scent. Bucky glances at the humans and taps Steve’s shoulder. As much as he wants to comfort Steve, showing such emotional attachment in front of humans seems like a bad idea. Maybe it’s just an old habit, but better safe than sorry.

                 Steve reluctantly lets him go. He still keeps one side of Bucky’s face cupped in his hand. Bucky leans against it gratefully. Steve cuts his gaze to the corner of his eye where he can still see Fury. “If you are going to take him on a mission you have to bring me too. I refuse to let him go alone, you understand me?” Steve’s voice rumbles slightly at the end.

                 Fury turns to look at Hill. “What is it my birthday?” He asks with a chuckle. He readdresses Steve. “Sure you can come along, wouldn’t have it any other way.”

                 Bucky takes Steve’s hand away from his face and sets it on his belly where he keeps it with his own. He focuses back on the human again, now back to business. “Now one more thing before you tell me about my mother…”

                 “Yeah?” Fury asks as he gets out another file.

                 “You have got to find a better name for me. Call those humans whatever you like, but I am not a fucking 'Werewolf'!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twice in a day! Man i wrote a fuck ton more than I expected for this scene. Now we're moving on to Bucky being adorable and inconvenienced by his size and instincts. Also Winifred Barnes shows up, and in maybe three chapters we get pups! Then there is an epilogue and we done... but what an epilogue! I am super excited for that chapter! I'm just excited for all of them from now on. And then I'm back to finishing my WIPs! "Finish him!" 
> 
> Personal note: I wrote 40 k words with my friend building up to an explosively hot sex scene between Dick Grayson(1st Robin, Nightwing) and Jason Todd( 2nd Robin, Red Hood) and then she decided she wanted to stop just as the scene began...this was the second most disappointing thing ever. The most disappointing thing ever was cooking a pot pie for an hour while talking on the phone (to the same friend), taking it out of the oven too fast and having it fall face down on the floor, ruining the pie completely. So now I have this fantastic slow build fic that ended with "(and then he gave him the best blowjob ever)". Fuck my life, I could have been writing this. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	37. Late Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Kinda gross chapter. If you are easily offended by poop, I advise you to skip this chapter. If you have an awful sense of humor like me, read on brothers and sisters.

**Late Fall**

               It’s nearly time. The other omegas are due in two weeks but Steve very much doubts Bucky is going to be able to hold out that long. His poor bondmate barely moves anymore, let alone leaves the den. Steve doesn’t like to leave him alone for more than a few hours which makes contributing to hunting trips hard but everyone understands. It’s not like he’s the only alpha father fighting instincts that say both to protect and to provide. The problem is that there are thirty new fathers this year and someone has got to do the hunting. Steve is their best and they need him when their ranks are low. Steve knows that even if he hates it. Once their stores start to suffer he eventually becomes more open to leaving Bucky.

               Sam finally convinces him to come with them on a ‘short day trip’ which turns into an eight hour long hunt that results in carrying home a huge elk. Steve practically drags the thing by himself to get the group moving faster. As soon as he drops the kill off at the hut they store food in, Steve rushes back to his den to check on his bondmate.

.oOo.

               Instinct is a curious thing. One second Bucky was lying on his side wondering who he has to pray to to regain the ability to poop, the next he realizes some critical thing is missing from his life. Getting up is taxing these days but he does his best to roll over. It takes a few warm up rolls before he finally tips onto his belly. That feels horrible. The little bodies inside him protest at being moved. Getting up onto his feet is even harder. The dirt slides under his front paw as he tries to slowly walk his back feet forward. Eventually he gets up, panting from the strain of just that. Now why did he do that?

               He looks around at his home. It’s very comfortable with everything he could need within crawling distance. True he is missing a Steve at the moment but that is no reason to get up. His second band is pinned up on the wall. Eight pups. Technically he could have from seven to nine but the official guess is eight. If he does really give birth to eight pups, it will be the most pups from one litter in thirty years. His legendary status is only elevated by this strange little twist of fate. Sure he wanted a large family but he didn’t think he’d have them all at once. The prospect of birth has become more and more welcoming as the pups have grown. He’s now past the point where they would need to be concerned if they were born prematurely. Bucky can see hanging on for another week and then asking Bruce to just induce him already. He’s very ready for this to happen soon. He’s sure he’ll be much happier with his pups once they are out in the world.

               He squirms a little, trying to take some weight off his front paw but it’s no use. He tries to ignore the burning in his foot pad as he assess his discomfort. Why get up? He’s got food, water, a nice bed,and the den is nice and roomy…maybe it’s too roomy? He considers this. He looks around for some place to curl up in that’s more enclosed. The den is smallish but it’s not small enough. Bucky looks over at the little alcove that he and Steve store clothing and tools in. Bucky keeps his knives and some books in there. The little choice spot is covered with a curtain. He stumbles towards it then pulls back the curtain with his teeth. There is some extra bedding balled up and a couple of wooden boxes. The little room seems like it would fit him and maybe Steve if they curled up tight. He would very much like to be in this little space. He grabs the bedding with his teeth and begins pulling it out of the area he intends to make his nest.

               A few minutes later, he’s thrown things from the storage room everywhere but now he can fit inside. He pulls some of the bedding that smells like him and Steve into the little room and arranges it in a pleasing manner. He has to hop up a little bit to get over a small lip between the floor of the den and the storage closet. He almost loses his balance but he catches himself by leaning against the wall. He reminds himself he used to be agile as he struggles to climb into his new nest. There is a lot of grunting involved. Once he’s finally situated in the center he rolls onto his side, the most comfortable position for him, and sighs. Oh yeah, this is much better. He pulls the curtain closed and buries his muzzle in a piece of bedding that smells like Steve. The pups move around, Bucky doesn’t blame them, he’d be pissed if the whole world kept moving too. They’ll settle down in a minute.

              “Buck!” Steve calls as he crawls into the den. The pups start moving more vigorously. They recognize Steve’s voice.

              “Erru!” Bucky whines. He sticks his nose out of the curtain but doesn’t try to move more than that.

              “Oh there you are.” Steve peeks in at him then pulls the curtain back. “What are you doing in here?” Steve stokes the bridge of his nose with one finger. It is very nice. Bucky exhales and grumbles. He gives Steve a pleading look, asking him not to make him shift over to explain. Bucky can hardly stand to be in his man form for more than a few minutes. Each pup weighs about two pounds and takes up as much space as a large grapefruit. Squeezing all eight of them into his human body is not an easily accomplished feat. When it comes time for the birth, shifting to human form is a good way to start contractions manually.

              Rather than shift to explain, Bucky wiggles a little in his bed to show he is comfortable. Steve seems to understand. “Is this a better nest?”

              “Che.” Bucky answers in the affirmative.

              “You look snug.” Steve notes with a happy smile. Bucky nods a little. “This where you want to do it?” They’ve haven’t talked about exactly where the pups are going to be born. They both assumed it would be in the den but Bucky thinks maybe that’s why he decided to seclude himself in this small space. His ears stand up. Is this how it starts? He knows from the books he’s supposed to seek out a spot for the birth not long before labor starts. He would be extremely happy if it started soon. “Are you okay?” Steve pets his enormous belly, he can feel the pups moving significantly more than usual. “Should I get your mom?”

              Something is definitely happening. Bucky feels an odd tightness in his abdomen as something changes. He lifts up his tail, not quite sure what to expect. Steve leans to the side to inspect and puts just the tiniest bit of pressure on Bucky’s stomach.

              The wet woosh of air and the sharp ‘thhppft’ of the fart shocks both of them but not as much as the stream of diarrhea Steve gets hit in the chest with. They both freeze. If Bucky were in his human form he would be bright red. This is the most horrific moment of his life.

              Steve gestures with his hand towards the mess, uncertain if wiping it with his hand is a good idea or not. After a second of stunned silence Steve finally says, “I think this is the first time anyone has ever shit on me.” Steve nods his head a couple of time. “Yep.” He bites his lip, snorts and then promptly erupts into convulsive laughter.

              Bucky’s ears tuck back he pulls his front paw up and tries to roll onto his back to show submission and beg forgiveness.

              “No stop, don’t roll over- you’ll get stuck!” Steve can stop cracking up. “Do you feel better now at least?” Steve covers his eyes as he snickers.

              “Ruuo!” Bucky laments. He does feel better. He would feel better still if he had done that in virtually any other conceivable way.

              “I’m going to go clean up. This smells…horrible.” Steve breaks down into laughter again. “I cannot believe that just happened!” 

              Bucky hides his head under some bedding in shame. He’s going to have nightmares about this.

              “Buck it’s okay, we’re having eight pups. We’re going to be dealing with poop and pee and vomit for years. If this bothered me, I’d be pretty out of luck.”

              Bucky gives him a look, it’s sad but so hopeful and appreciative. It says I love you and you are the greatest creature in the world by far.

              “I’ll be back in a minute. We needed to get some rags and some water anyway.”

              Bucky sets his head down once Steve is gone. Luckily(or maybe not) the mess only got on Steve. If he lives to be a hundred years old he will never forget this day. He shat blasted his bondmate… fuck his life.

              A couple of minutes later Steve returns with a warm basin of water and Bucky’s mother. Bucky’s mother Fred, named so because her mother thought she was a boy for four weeks, coos at Bucky when she sees him.

              “Oh Bucky Bear, I heard you’ve got the labor squirts.” With the arrival of Bucky’s mother came the new nickname. He is now ‘Bucky Bear’ to her. He was told it is because when he was a pup he was really ugly. According to her, he looked like a bear cub. That’s the kind of mother Fred is, the kind that tells you she loves you to bits but you were an ugly puppy. “Don’t worry, happens to everybody.” She continues. “It’s just your body shutting down digestion before the big event. It’s a good thing you’re doing this now, when you were born I plopped a big ol’ log on your head.” Bucky stares at her, uncertain of what this story is supposed to make him feel. Fred takes the wash cloth and starts looking for anything that looks like it is brown and not dirt. “Better than the constipation at least.” She pets her sons flank, giving him a good rub.

              Bucky can’t say that he enjoyed the constipation, that’s for sure. Steve picks up a small rubber mat and some newspaper. Bucky is pretty sure he knows where that is going and he doesn’t like it. That mat is for pups before they are potty trained. Truly there is no dignity to this at all.

             “I’m just going to put this under you to be safe.” Steve tells him as he moves Bucky’s hind legs to slide the rubber mat under him. Bucky grumbles. This is humiliating. “You’re okay… hold on I’m just going to lift your butt up…” Steve picks his hips up just enough to slide the newspaper under him. Bucky whimpers and then farts. He tries not to but the gassy plopping noise escape him anyway. Steve finds this extremely funny.

             “Steve stop laughing, he’s miserable.” Fred chides.

             Steve sits down with his back against the den wall. Bucky could poke his arm with his nose if he wished, this is a nice distance. “I’m sorry…” Steve shakes his head as he continues to snicker. “I just wasn’t prepared for this.” Steve’s sense of humor isn’t always the classiest. Neither is his but it’s hard to laugh at himself in the moment.

             “It’s an ugly little secret we keep between us mothers.” Fred shakes her finger at Steve. “You are not allowed to tell your alpha or beta friends about this, I mean it.”

             “Why? It’s just a natural part of life.” Steve asks. Bucky lunges forward to give him a little nip. Steve reflexively holds his arm. “Ouch! Hey!”

             “It’s embarrassing of course!” Fred hisses at him. Just as she’s about to go on, Bucky’s bowls rumble. Bucky starts to whimper, fearing what he now knows is going to happen again. “Get the bucket!” Fred and Steve scramble to handle the situation while Bucky accepts that he is powerless to stop what his body is doing.

.oOo.

             A bucket of poo and some water to drink later, things are better. Bucky feels like he can actually move now that some of the extra stuff in him has been expelled. He celebrates by hobbling around the den. His front paw is still bothering him.

             “How much longer?” Steve asks Fred as they watch Bucky roam around stiffing stuff.

             “Not very. A day at the most.”

             Bucky stops. That is very soon. He’s ready but that’s still not the week he was expecting. He waddles towards Steve for some comforting pets when suddenly he feels a sharp, stabbing pain in the pad of his front paw. He cries out once. It’s so intense that he reflexively drops to take weight off of the injury. His topple is cushioned by Steve. The alpha lunged forward and caught him just in time. They both fall to the ground but Bucky only gently flops instead of face planting.

            “Bucky!” Steve yells as he maneuvers his bondmate into his lap. The whelping omega whimpers and tucks his paw into his body. It hurts really, really badly. “Baby let me see, I want to help.”

             Bucky shakily extends his paw so Steve can inspect it. He cries quietly with his eyes closed shut. Steve takes the paw and gently turns it too see. “Oh shit.” Bucky’s paw is split right down through the callous down to the muscle. It’s bleeding pretty bad. “Fred, get a kit from the medical hut! Call Bruce! Call a helicopter! We need to get him to a hospital! He needs- just do- please do-something!” Steve starts hyperventilating.

             Bucky has calmed down. He takes a few deep breaths and stretches his neck up so he can lick Steve’s chin. Steve has started crying. Fred leaves to go get a first aid kit. Bucky leans his head against Steve’s chest companionably. He blinks as he waits for Steve to settle.

             “I’m sorry, I’m just so stressed out about this. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do for you. It is so hard to watch you deal with all of this and have nothing to contribute. All I can do is just kind of- be here.” Steve wipes his eyes. He hugs onto Bucky’s neck. The extra fluff and fat has made him very cuddly.

             Bucky sets his chin on Steve’s shoulder and leans his head against Steve’s. Steve starts blubbering all over again now that he’s got a good hold on his bondmate. Bucky sighs and relaxes. The hardest part about being stuck in his lupine form is the inability to tell Steve how much Steve helps him by just doing this. Love can’t always be sweet words and passionate sex. The little things like this and brushing off disgusting mishaps are just as important if not more so. Because most of what’s important in life and love happens in the times between the dramatic exchanges. Bucky knows he can raise a family with the alpha holding onto him like he’s the only thing in the world that matters. This is what love really is. Whatever happens next is okay because Steve is going to be there, in love with him, ready to handle it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had four comments on my last double chapter update. EstherCloyse, Nonnica, Pre_Chan1410, and 70SecretKinks, you da real MVPs. This chapter is a cry for help(attention *cough*. Also, during these dark times I turned to Youtube. I found this and now I am broken. The first seven seconds are the important part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UT9Ke6V1P4
> 
> I disowned my friend btw. It was a long time coming. RIP my long,emotionally abusive family. The good times will be missed, for the rest of it...fuck you. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Graphic Birth. (Yay!)

               This was such a fucking bad idea, he has no words for how bad an idea it was. Shift over so we can heal the wound faster they said, you’ll probably go into labor but it’s okay because it’s time. No! No! No! No! Bucky hates this non-lupine fuck-wit! This is his fault!

               Bucky has been in labor for three hours. It came on fast after he shifted. One second he felt fine, the next he was in the worst pain he’s felt since he escaped from Hydra. It’s gotten more frequent, not that it was ever infrequent. Fuck-wit non-lupine says his contractions started closer together than they normal do. That was three hours ago and he has made zero progress.

               Steve is telling hik to breathe but Bucky is gritting his teeth tearing chunks of dirt out of the wall. Steve is holding him in his lap trying to sooth him, it is not helping much.

               “I don’t understand!” Steve yells at Bruce. Bruce, Peggy, and Fred are there to help with the delivery. “You said he’s fully dilated, they should come out now should-.”

               Bucky screams in pain in his lap. It’s another contraction, he’s lost track of how many he’s had. Each one saps a little more of his strength. Every ounce of energy he had has been squandered by fruitless pushes. Bruce told him to stop after the third push didn’t move the first pup into the birth canal. Sweat is pouring out of him, his whole body shakes as the agony refuses to let up.

               “It’s on it’s side.” Bruce tells them as he puts on a glove that goes all the way up to his bicep.

               “What are you doing?!” Steve yells. He holds onto Bucky’s shoulders.

               “It’s going to have to be turned.” Bruce informs them.

               Bucky cries especially loud this time. He pulls a fist full of dirt out of the wall as he sobs. Tears drip from his eyes. Steve strokes the hair away from his sweaty face. “It’s okay, you’re doing really good. Just think, pups soon.” Steve takes a wet cloth and dabs his bondmate’s face with it lovingly. “Pups soon.” Steve’s hands are shaking.

                Fred leans in a wipes some blood filled fluid away from Bucky’s bottom. He’s not bleeding too much so far. “You sure you want to do it? I have smaller hands.” Bucky’s mother offers. Bruce applies lube to his gloved arm quickly.

                “No it’s got to be done gently for the pup’s sake. I really don’t think hand size is going to make a difference. Those pups are going to slide right out as soon as this one is turned right.”

                “You’re really going to stick your hand inside him!?” Steve cries. “That’s the only way!?”

                “Fuck! Do it!” Bucky grunts then silently screams as the next contraction hits. He claws at the wall as he resists pushing and hurting himself.

                “This is going to be pretty uncomfortable but like nothing compared to the contractions.” Bruce informs Bucky. Peggy and Fred lift Bucky’s hips up so they can slide a pillow under Bucky. The angle makes it a little easier for Bruce to do what needs to be done. Peggy and Fred each hold one of Bucky’s knees to keep him from reflexively pulling them inward. Bucky has another contraction as they take hold of him. This time slightly more blood than usual drips out of him.

                “We’re doing this now, brace yourself.” Bruce tells Bucky. Steve holds onto Bucky as much as he can. Bucky shields his eyes by pressing his face into Steve’s side.

                Bruce condenses his fingers as much as he can before pushing into Bucky. Bucky clenches up trying to stop the intrusion in the wrong direction but thanks to the labor it’s not hard for Bruce to reach up inside him. “Oh yeah, just like I thought.” Bruce confirms as he rotates his wrist.

                Bucky sobs for breath as he endures it. Steve clutches onto him like he’s in the same pain as Bucky is. “Please fast! Please fast!” Bucky whimpers. Bruce pulls his hand out just as the next contraction hits.

                “Okay, you can push now.” Bruce confirms.

                Bucky gasps in relief then doubles down. He can feel the difference immediately. The pup descends out of his womb as soon as he pushes. “Ahhh! Oh, it’s ah! Ah!” Steve takes Bucky’s hand.

                “There’s it’s nose!” Fred squeals. Bucky pushes harder than he thought he could at this point. Bruce takes a warm towel and catches the pup as it slips out.

               Steve and Bucky both gape at the little body covered in a thin fluid filled sack. It’s smaller than Bucky was expecting but then again he’s never seen a newborn before. Bucky holds out his hand for it. Steve reaches out with him to stabilize the bundle as Bucky takes the pup in it’s undisturbed sack. It’s important for bonding that Bucky be the one to open it.

                “Can you get on your knees? It will be easier if Steve holds them, there are about to be several.” Bruce chuckles.

                Bucky needs help from his mother and Peggy to maneuver over. The whole time he doesn’t take his eyes off the pup in Steve’s arms. He leans his shoulder on Steve. Peggy and Fred stuff blankets into the spaces under him so he doesn’t have to worry about keeping himself propped up. Bucky pays no attention. His whole world revolves around the little being in front of his face. He takes the tip of the towel and gently wipes the sack until it breaks. The blood and fluid pops, some gets on Bucky’s face but that’s a good thing. He’s supposed to smell his smell and the pups smell to establish their bond. Bucky is overcome by instinct. He’s never read anything about this part because no one has ever felt the need to explain to a new mother how to act, it’s entirely instinctual for him to lean forward and lick the bloody pup.

                At once the pup makes a little sound and starts to wiggle. Steve is breathing funny and grinning like an idiot while Bucky is just mesmerized. This is his. He made it. The pup rolls a bit while Bucky cleans it up. He uses mostly his tongue but also the towel. He doesn’t feel the next contraction or notice that he pushes. He feels the next pup come out and looks over his shoulder just as Bruce is adding it to the towel. Bucky smiles softly then licks this one too. He bites the sack to break it. This pup starts whimpering right away too. Steve has been reduced to tears. He bends down and kisses Bucky’s forehead and temple again and again as he watches the tender way Bucky welcomes each pup. Both pups are a dark color but it’s hard to tell exactly which shade while they’re wet.

                The next pup that gets added is lighter than the first two. Bucky thinks this one might be Steve’s shade. Bucky has to lick his nose clean before he squeaks to life. He’s perfect just like the first two. He realizes he hasn’t checked their genders. He turns them over. Two girls one boy so far. The little blond one is the boy. The next pup comes with another towel. Steve has to adjust his arms to make room. The fourth breaks her own sack as she thrashes around looking for her mama. The new mother kisses her belly as he cleans her up. Bucky realizes Steve has been kissing him too and he’s been ignoring him. He stretches his neck up and kisses his bondmate in a daze. He’s so high on endorphins he barely has any concept of the world around him. When he goes back to tending to his litter, Steve’s mouth is red with blood but the alpha doesn’t care. He takes the liberty of stroking his pups with the tip of his index finger. They sniff his hand and nose at the fingertip curiously. Bucky licks them and nudges them away from the edges of the blanket. Steve helps by shifting them a little. They all let out an alarmed cry as they are moved. Bucky growls at Steve who has dared to offend his pups. Steve whimpers to him and earns forgiveness. After all, he would not have these little wonders if it were not for Steve.

                The fifth pup requires more effort. Some harsh breaths and moaning occurs as the omega pushes but he doesn’t feel much pain except for when the pup is crowning. When Bruce hands Steve the fifth pup he sees why. This pup is enormous! Bucky licks him clean then observes his sheer size. He could be a week instead of seconds old. Big pup latches onto Steve’s finger when he pets his nose.

                “Better finish up here Buck, they’re hungry.” Steve chuckles. Bucky doesn’t hear as he continues to clean his litter. The pups quickly emerge regardless.

                After the eighth pup is born Bruce palpates Bucky’s stomach to confirm that was the last one. “Feels like we’re done.” Bruce announces. “Peggy you want to double check?”

                “It’d be my honor.” Peggy feels too and confirms Bruce’s diagnosis of ‘all born’.

                “Can you shift over to feed them?” Bruce asks.

                Like that’s a question. If you asked Bucky to move a mountain right now he’d ask ‘where to?’ Bucky slips into his lupine form quicker than he ever has before and then promptly collapses. Steve holds the pups while the doctor and his assistants remove the extra bedding and pick up their supplies. Peggy picks up the placenta in a bowl. The placenta detached completely during Bucky’s shift.

                “We’ll bring this back later. They’re all yours now. Congratulations.” The Grand Omega beams at the new parents who don’t hear a word.

                Steve arranges the pups carefully so they can each find a teat. It’s no trouble for the instinct driven newborns. They root around in Bucky’s fur until they find their targets. Bucky bristles at first but then relaxes. Steve shifts into his lupine form too then rejoins his family in the alcove. He curls around the opposite side of the pups so the litter is between them. Steve leans his head against Bucky’s and flops his tail over his bondmate’s. Bucky licks their pups, cleaning them better than he could in his man form.

                The new parents are fairly sure this is what unadulterated happiness feels like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pups guys. Pups. BBs. The sweetest little ERRRRR! I loves them! Through in a little wolf bonding behavior because cute. Most of my finals are over. Now to sew and write and relax! Message me on tumblr: http://thenotorioustrollop.tumblr.com/ ...cuz we got messaging now. 
> 
> -The Trollop


	39. Chapter 39

               “This is disgusting.” Bucky snickers as swallows another bite of placenta.

               The pups are sleeping soundly with full bellies and each other for warmth. Bucky arranged the blankets around them so they’d be very secure. He still won’t go more than a meter away from them but he’s backed off a bit for now so he can stretch out in his man form and talk to Steve. They lie belly down on the floor of the den with their heads propped up in one way or another. Bucky has his head set on its side just a few inches away from his pups. He uses his free hand to tear off bits of his meal and feed himself. Steve pets the pups with one hand and leans his chin on the other.

                “At least they seasoned it a little.” Steve responds optimistically.

                “I think that’s just dirt.” Bucky picks off one piece of placenta with the suspect seasoning on it and tries to feed it to Steve. “Here. What do you think?”

                “Gross Buck! I’m not going to eat you.” Steve laughs quietly so he doesn’t disturb the pups.

                Bucky raises an eyebrow salaciously. “You haven’t ever objected before.” Bucky teases.

                “And we are not talking about that right now.” Steve cuts his eyes to the pups. “Fragile ears are listening.”

                One of their sweet little daughters flicks her tail in her sleep. The movement is stilted because she hasn’t gained the muscle control yet. Their tails are precious, little bitty fir tree shaped joy. Bucky shifts forward with a grunt and kisses his daughter on her pudgy back. They have three daughters and five sons. One of the boys might be a female alpha, in a few days they’ll be able to tell better.

                “They are five hours old, Steve. They don’t care what we talk about, they just like our voices.” Bucky assures his bondmate as he settles in. He cringes in discomfort but recovers quickly.

                “Are you okay?” Steve pets Bucky’s nape. He’s not quite at the point of being worried, but still dangerously teetering.

                “I’m fine Steve, the soreness is catching up to me that’s all. Just because I shifted twice doesn’t mean I’m back to normal yet.” Bucky snorts. “I did kinda give birth a little bit, you know?”

                “Right…” Steve bites his lip and glances at the placenta which Bucky is supposed to eat to get some of his strength back. “So shouldn’t you-.”

                “I’m eating it! I’m eating it!” Bucky laughs and nudges Steve with his shoulder. He takes another bite of the organ and then sets it down. “Kinda reminds me of kidney.” He notes. “Or-.”

                He drops the placenta on the plate as it hits him of what it really reminds him of. He’s eaten something that tasted just like this many times before. They used to give it to him as a ‘treat’ with the other meat scraps he’d get mixed in with his dog food. He ate dog food. When he refused to eat it at all, they strapped him down and fed him through a tube in his nose. What was he eating then?! What the fuck were they feeding him?! How long ago was that? When did…

                 Bucky covers his eyes. He can’t think about that. He doesn’t want those answers. He doesn’t need to know those things. When he uncovers his eyes the first thing he sees is the bundle of newborn pups. They’re so tiny and fragile. Each one of them from the biggest to the smallest is absolutely flawless. They wiggle in their sleep every now and then. They snuffle softly as they slumber. Bucky’s chin quivers as he fights tears.

                 “Buck? Sweetheart what’s wrong?” Steve cups Bucky’s cheeks.

                 “It hasn’t even been a year!” Bucky croaks. “A year ago today I was sleeping on concrete in a cage! I didn’t know my name, I didn’t remember you, I had nothing!” He squeaks as he takes a breath. “All I had was the blind hope that this existed for me somewhere!” Bucky can’t hold back from crying anymore. His vision is foggy but he can still make out his babies. Somehow he created these incredible new lives. After everything that happened he was still able to do it. He thought he’d never be free and now look at him! More importantly, look at his pups. They are totally separate from his life in the clutches of Hydra. They’re pure. “I wanted but I never thought... I hoped, but I never believe-!” He sniffs and leans his head on Steve’s shoulder. “And you… I love you so, so much. How do I- how do I even…” Bucky heaves in air. Steve puts his arm over Bucky’s shoulders and pulls him in so he’s cradled against his chest.

                 “Shhh… you’re not the only one that’s overwhelmed.” Steve trails his fingertips between Bucky’s shoulder blades. “Wanna hear? I promise it’s a happy story.”

                 Bucky nods his head. Anything to stop thinking about this. Steve’s comforting voice and thoughtful words are always preferable to any other form of consolation.

                 “Okay.” Steve begins. “A year ago today,I was struggling to restore a broken pack and fix the horrors that Alexander did to us. I had Peggy but she wasn’t my mate. I was First Alpha but I couldn’t accept that was all there was for me. I knew there had to be something that was driving me to fight Hydra like I did. I used to think I wanted revenge for the pups they stole from us. That was…” Steve wobbles his head as he considers it. “True in a way. But I wanted more than just revenge, I wanted answers. So I led the Howlies with everything I had until the day I retired.” Steve smiles. “Which happens to have been the day you came home. I got my answers that day but then I realized I had even more questions than before! For instance, why had I held off on taking a proper mate? I realize it was because I was looking for you.” Steve shifts Bucky up so he can look at him. “It happens sometimes. A pup will imprint on someone when they’re young and stay with that person forever. When I saw you again, I knew that was why I had always needed to know what happened to you so badly.”

                 Bucky wipes his eyes and sniffles. “Stop it you sap. You’re too much.” Bucky hiccups.

                 “I’m not being over dramatic Buck, this really is a biological thing that happens.” Steve pets the hair away from Bucky’s face. “That aside though…” Steve gulps. “When you wanted me the same way I wanted you, that was enough for me. I couldn’t have ever asked for anything more. You’re my best friend, First Omega, and my bondmate!” Steve pecks Bucky on the lips. “I didn’t think it got better than that. Then you told me you wanted this.” Steve uncurls around Bucky and picks up a pup that was just waking. It's the little girl that was moving her tail. Steve carefully holds her between him and his bondmate. Bucky gives the little girl a fond kiss and rubs his cheek on her. He trusts Steve to hold her. “All my expectations for how happy I could be in life have been so exceeded, I hardly known what to do with myself… as you probably noticed.” Bucky peeps as he trades places with the pup so that he has his back against Steve’s warm chest. Bucky and Steve maneuver their daughter so now Bucky has her between his neck and shoulder where he and Steve can both smother her with attention. Steve still has one thing more to say. He kisses Bucky behind the ear and quietly tells him, “Now here I am on the best day of my life, with you and our family, and I’m totally lost again. This time though, it’s exciting and wonderful. Because I’ve got you to help me now. I love you too Buck.”

                  It’s perfect. His new life is perfect. This is so improbable for him but here he is. Bucky sniffles but he can’t fight the smile spreading over his puffy features. This is the best day of his life too. He keeps tearing up because despite how happy he is, he also feels the most deep seeded fear he’s ever felt. To keep this perfect life unblemished by the old one, he is going to have to use what the old life taught him. That means he’ll never be free of what they did to him. As he gazes at his babies he comes to the firm conclusion that he is not deterred by this. He would sacrifice himself in an instant to protect his pups. If being a weapon is what it takes to protect his pack, his family, his new life; so fucking be it. He’ll slaughter Hydra before it can even get close.

                 Bucky kisses the pup on his shoulder. Steve holds her there as they admire her. She yawns, stretching out her miniature pink tongue. Steve boops his nose with his daughter’s. Bucky laughs in little puffs between gasping for air.

                 He bites his lip and leans his forehead on his daughter’s side. “Promise me we’re going to keep them safe? No matter what that takes.” Bucky croaks. 

                 Steve almost scoffs at what an unnecessary question that is. “Yeah Buck, I’m with you no matter what.” Bucky looks up at his bondmate and receives a kiss between his brows.

                 The snuffling from the bundle of pups intensifies until they start peeping confusedly. The newborns are missing a sibling and their mother’s belly is absent from snuggling range. Bucky stiffens once he hears the change. Instinct has him in a choke hold now. He rolls over and sets the baby girl down with her siblings.

                 “Gotta nurse'em again. Hungry, confused.” Bucky explains in broken instinct driven thought. Steve gets it though. He pets the pups while their mother shifts. Once Bucky finishes and returns to his fluffy self, he crawls to the opposite side of the bundle and arranges his pups against him.

                 Steve picks of the placenta and dish without asking if Bucky wants any more. He saw the way Bucky reacted. Whatever that was, it’s nothing Steve would ever force on Bucky. There has got to be something Bucky can eat instead. He already has a couple bites. Tradition fulfilled as far as Steve is concerned. Maybe he’ll burry the nasty thing in the woods just so nobody gets superstitious.

                 “I’ll be back in a couple minutes. I’m going to get you something better to eat.”

                 Bucky hums to his bondmate thankfully as the pups squeak at each other and Bucky.

                 Steve leaves the den with a huge grin on his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WWWWWOOOOOOO! Finals are over and I am going back to Seattle! I should probably leave this chapter on a more epic note but the final chapter ought to be epic enough. It's the epilogue, what's a good epilogue without violent death? I'm happy to conclude this so try not to be too sad. All good things must come to an end or else they become shitty things... I'm guilty of doing that too many times to count. See you guys next chapter where we answer any remaining questions, wreck Hydra's shit, and probably cuddle with some puppies. Intrigue, carnage, puppies. What more do you want out of fan fiction? 
> 
> -Ooo Nah Nah! What's my name?


	40. Epilogue: The Second Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: VIOLENT DEATH
> 
> Not of a main character or even of anyone we care about. I'm just saying people die and die badly.

**The Second Summer**

               Click, click, boom! Click, click, boom! Subtly is for people who die easily, Bucky has never been one of these. The shotgun is handy for those hard to reach humans that have the catastrophically bad idea of trying to attack him. It also creates the illusion that he is somehow ‘unarmed’ when he runs out of shells. For one thing, this is not likely to happen because he has plenty of ammo for the graceless but affective weapon. Secondly, Bucky is more dangerous in close combat than these humans could ever imagine. Unfortunately for them, their last moments on earth do not require imagination.

               He’s carved a noisy path in a well-designed plan to convince the base that he’s on a solo mission to assassinate their leader Johan Schmitt. Of course, the assassination of Schmitt is in the plan but it isn’t his first destination. He’s already dismantled two waves of guards, literally single handedly, now it’s time to go stealth mode to compete his main objective.

               Bucky jogs around a corner into a service corridor. The door to his left will take him under the surface level floor of the base into the maintenance area where the base’s power supply and important pipelines are the dominant features. There is also a handy access tunnel that will take him to the generator that supplies the ‘medical’ unit. With a little muscle, he can get into the ‘medical’ unit from there.

               Bucky breaks the lock to the service level door with one swift pull. He’s approximately three times stronger than the fittest of humans. Snapping steal is no problem. He slides down a ladder and finds the access tunnel easily. Steve helped him memorize the floor plans of the building so he’ll always know where he is. Bucky sprints along the tunnel. He needs to do this part quickly before the reinforcements along his false path realize he’s not coming. The urgency is more of a curtesy really. Once Hydra does realize they’ve been duped, they won’t be able to pursue Bucky anyway. The Howlies should make their grand entrance in approximately one minute give or take thirty seconds. Bucky should be in ‘medical’ by then. Bucky’s only hurrying so his mate doesn’t have to chase these despicable humans around the complex.

                Another ladder leads up to the generator room. Bucky crouches down then jumps ten feet up the tunnel and lands on the platform where the ladder ended. The generator is to his left, to his right is a wall which he knows is one of the walls in ‘medical’. Some bright human thought it would be smart to not put an access door between the generator and the secret laboratory they call a ‘medical unit’ in case someone wanted to do exactly what Bucky is doing now. He takes a step back, turns and kicks. The cinderblock wall cracks and gives. Bucky can see through the hole he’s created. He pulls the cinderblock pieces away from the opening until it’s large enough for him to squeeze through. He rolls to his feet once he’s on the other side.

                The room is quiet except for the whirling of a few machines and the occasional beep. Dim lights give the room a dormant quality. This is the one part of his mission he is not certain of. The room is segregated between science and a failed attempt at nurturing. On one side, there is lab equipment ranging from microscopes to dissection tools and a little mat which can be easily wiped clean. Bucky can still smell blood under the strong scent of antibacterial spray and bleach. On the other side of the room is what could be described as a nursery. It’s about the least loving ‘nursery Bucky can imagine but that must be what these humans think this place is. Bucky approaches a machine which hums and emits warmth. He knows from past encounters that the humans use this thing as a cradle. Bucky hates these metal boxes with only flittered air holes for openings. A screen on the lid of the thing lights up when it detects movement. Writing flashes across the screen. Bucky aims his body camera so that the video records all the information the screen displays. Once the information loops back to the beginning, Bucky takes out a piece of paper with human symbols written on it. Fury found the code for him using one of his resources. Bucky punches the symbols into a key pad and pushes the green button like he was taught. Bucky closes his eyes. The metal box opens.

                The omega takes a breath before he looks. He slowly opens his eyes once he’s ready. Bucky breathes out in relief. He was expecting much worse. The last time they did this, it was much worse. Inside the ‘crib’ are two pups. One is maybe two years old and the other couldn’t be older than six months. He’s almost the exact same age as Bucky’s litter. The pups each have an IV in their leg which must be feeding them food and sedatives. Bucky carefully removes the IVs and gives each pup a little rub to see if they’ll stir. They both whimper which is a good sign. They are both very doped up, once they’re more lucid Bucky will be able to gauge their physical state better. The omega undoes the side of his bullet proof vest. He does not need the vest. He’s wearing it specifically because it has a pouch sewn into the inside where he can keep the pups while he ferries them out of the base. He gently tucks them both inside. He pauses on the little one. This pup feels particularly dear to him on an instinctual level. It smells like it belongs to him, which is ridiculous because his pups are all well and accounted for. He’ll have to investigate later. There is another possibility but he can’t think too hard about it now. As much as he aches to inspect the pups he’s rescuing, he has a strict timeline to keep. He tucks the pups securely in his vest and redoes the fastenings so that the pups aren’t too squished. They softly chirp appreciatively, Bucky takes that as another good sign.

                Before he leaves the room, he gives it a quick glance for anything interesting. He notices a computer which seems like an excellent victim. He rips open it’s square body and pulls out the thing that is called a hard drive. Humans can get information from these things apparently. Bucky stashes that in a pocket. He leaves the room through the door.

                His feet make no sound as he walks down the hall. Steve calls this his murder strut. He keeps it up, sleeping babies in his vest and all, it’s natural for him. A guard runs down the hall that’s perpendicular to the one Bucky’s in. Bucky rolls his eyes. Too bad for this guy, he doesn’t want to be detected in this area. Better make it fast for the pups.

               Bucky waits around the corner for the guard to come. He taps his foot silently for two seconds as he waits. He gives the pups a pat then turns and holds his arm out at throat level. The guard runs into Bucky’s arm at full speed. The appendage is like a titanium bar. The guard falls to the ground croaking for air. Bucky plunges his fingers into the guard’s eye sockets. He yanks the man’s head back with so much force that he internally decapitates him. Bucky goes back to patting the pups as he jogs away unfazed.

.oOo.

                “So… like how do you know if it’s a clone when it’s a puppy?” Ken asks his partner as they stare at the screens inside the darkly lit van.

                Working as the tech support officers for a secret werewolf death squad is surprisingly boring. Ken and Danna have been working this job for six weeks since it became apparent the first people who were assigned to relay calls and check cameras were insufficient. It took the US military a week to track down these two desensitized keyboard jockeys. Their special skills include a strong stomach and the worst sense of humor found in humans.

                “Genetic testing I think. It’s hard to tell by sight alone.” Danna stirs her Slurpee with a straw. It’s dinner time.

                “Yeah but can the werewolves smell it?” Ken asks.

                “Maybe?” Danna squints. She pushes a button on the control board to call the leader. “Alpha 1, Ken wants to know if you guys smell when someone is a clone.” Ken scrambles to try and disconnect the call.

                The screen that shows the video from Steve’s body cam shows that he’s in the middle of punching someone. He hits with enough force to knock the guy out from six inches away.

.oOo.

                “Umm…” Steve answers uncertainly. The fight seems to have ended with that punch. The Howlies are getting ready to meet up with Bucky now. A human tech officer sets down a case which contains Bucky’s weapon. Steve puts his fingers to the headset in his ear. “No I don’t really think we can… did Bucky find the pups?”

.oOo.

                 Ken and Danna saw that on Bucky’s body cam. “Yes he did. There was a little one he seemed interested in.”

.oOo.

                 “And you think it could be a clone?” Steve sighs. “I thought we pretty much confirmed that experiment was unsuccessful from the info we got last month?” He notices blood splatter on his jacket and tries to clean it off while he waits to become useful again. The other Howlies are handcuffing people in groups behind him.

.oOo.

                 “Yeah but…” Danna drinks some of her Slurpee. “Bucky did prematurely kill that guy when you were interrogating him for that information.” Danna used to work for a Hollywood special effects studio. After that interrogation, she now knows that Hollywood never did ‘getting your throat ripped out by an angry wolf’ justice.

.oOo.

                 “He said he’d die before he talked, Bucky took him at his word.” Steve replies with a little shrug. He opens a pocket to get a candy bar he has stashed inside. He’s really hungry with all these dead bodies around. Unfortunately for his watering mouth, human lupine relations will not go well if he snacks on dead Homo sapiens. Thus, he eats a snickers. What can he say? Bucky had good taste in whelping food. “That interrogation was going nowhere anyway.” He adds before taking another bite. Steve’s not going to reprimand Bucky for killing Zola, not after everything Zola did to him. Steve did, however, try to save Zola after Bucky tore open the arteries in Zola’s throat. The alpha succeeded in prolonging Zola’s suffering for another five minutes. Trying to help was the right thing to do, making Zola’s death longer and more agonizing was an added bonus.

.oOo.

                   Ken leans over to talk into the mic between him and Danna. “Omega 1 is thirty yards from you. He’ll be there in a few seconds, get ready.” Ken interrupts with pertinent information.

.oOo.

                  Steve crumbles up the wrapper of the snickers bar and returns it to his pocket. “Roger that, I’ll request a pickup when I’m ready. Otherwise, no more questions.” Steve tells them in his ‘leader’ voice.

.oOo.

                  “Yes sir.” Ken pushes the button to close the line embarrassedly.

                  Danna purses her lips. “So it’s possible.” She concludes as she grabs her ten dollar bag of fast food.

                  “The clone thing?! You are still talking about the clone thing!” Ken sputters. “That was embarrassing, humiliating! That guy is like the Arch of Duke of Badassville and you made me look like an idiot!” Ken adjusts his glasses and runs his fingers through his shoulder length hair.

                  “Pfft!” Danna scoffs. “You do realize they can’t bite people to turn them into werewolves right? It’s like a species thing, you can’t become his familiar. This is not your chance to escape reality in furry form.”

                  “I know but I just… enugh!” Ken takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes quickly. “I’m just embarrassed!”

                  “Hey…” Danna wraps an arm around Ken and sets her head on his shoulder. “It’s okay. That little blip didn’t do any damage in the grand scheme of things. Your huge man crush on Alpha 1 and Omega 1 was already totally visible from space.” She says in a comforting tone.

                  “You are THE worst person on earth, I swear to God!” Ken groans.

.oOo.

                Bucky nods as he comes to a stop at Steve’s side. Steve smiles, relived to see his bondmate in good shape. Bucky isn’t always so stable after retrieving the pups. “Got em?” Steve checks.

                Bucky pats his vest. “Yup, they’re sleeping. Two of them, both boys. The older one is about two the little one is six months.”

                Steve scowls. “I don’t think there are any pups that young in the registry.”

                “Maybe he’s from a pack we haven’t contacted yet? We’ll see.” Bucky undoes his vest again. Steve helps pull the babies out one at a time. He coos at them affectionately. Remembering what the techs said, he gives the little pup a quick smell. His eyebrows go up, he can see why Bucky was intrigued. This little pup smells eerily similar to Bucky. If Steve didn’t know better he’d swear this pup is one of their litter.

                “That’s weird.” Steve takes a few steps over to where their support team has set up the equipment for the next stage of the siege. It’s time to get the pups to safety and end Schmitt. Steve holds the pups with one arm as he pulls a soft blanket out of a case. The pups don’t stir as they’re swaddled. “They were doped?”

                Bucky watches over Steve’s shoulder as Steve handles the babies as he would his own. “Yeah, they had IV’s. They were probably using the same stuff as they were at the last base.”

                “I hope not.” Steve mumbles. Bucky draws his upper lip in and looks at the ground.

                “Me too.” Bucky unstraps the side of Steve’s vest. The alpha has the same pup carrying pocket as Bucky does. This one is made of mesh and intend for long term concealment. Extra care was taken so that the pups aren’t smothered. Bucky holds one pup while Steve tucks the other in place.  “Come on back for me when you’re done, okay?”

                Steve leans over and kisses Bucky on the cheek. “Yup.” He pops the ‘p’ at the end of his word and smirks at Bucky. The corner of Bucky’s lips can’t help but curl up fondly. Steve’s grin gets a whole lot more satisfied for some secret reason reserved for the two of them.

                “Really?” Bucky refastens Steve’s vest as he talks quietly. “How is that a sex thing?”

                Steve plants an especially affectionate kiss on Bucky’s forehead then whispers in his ear. “I’ll always come on your back for you.”

                Bucky smack Steve on the arm. “Fuckin punk!” Steve throws his head back and laughs with his right hand on the left side of his chest. Steve’s has an uncanny sense for when it’s time to drop a sex joke to keep Bucky from getting depressed. Bucky rolls his eyes at his dirty minded bondmate and starts stripping out of his fatigues so he can shift without ripping anything. Steve sticks around for a second so he can help attach the weapon. Bucky always feels more comfortable when Steve is the one that tightens the straps.

                “Only for you Sweetheart.” Steve tells him as Bucky kicks off his pants.

                The tech person has the case for the weapon open and ready for Bucky to release the locks with his thumb print. Bucky bends over and casually presses his thumb against the little scanner. It unlocks the electromagnet that keeps the weapon from being detached from its carrying case. In the event the case was ever stolen, theoretically you would have to destroy the weapon before you’d be able to tamper with it. It’s just one of the dozen or so technological innovations Tony has made for the pack’s benefit recently.

                The weapon is much more than a simple prosthesis. Reducing the wondrous limb to that level neglects the artistry of the thing. Yes, it serves as a replacement for Bucky’s left arm when he is in his third form, but it’s more than that. The metal limb is made of a titanium steal alloy that will retain its function and shape if an elephant wearing stilettos were to step on it. It is controlled by the most advanced nuro-interfacing technology in existence. Inside its outer shell, it’s filled with hundreds of thousands of microfilaments which act like nerves would in a flesh and bone arm. The exterior of the weapon is made of elegant plates which configure subconsciously according to how a muscle would respond to a nerve impulse. It’s a beautiful machine to match an equally magnificent wielder.

                The shift from his man form to his infamous third form begins at the base of his spine. His skin goes from being a peachy tan color to a deep brown with veins of black. The color transformation spreads from the tops of his hips outward in the shape of butterfly wings. The edges of the ‘wings’ rapidly crawl over his skin. His eyes revert to the same way they are in his lupine form. The change in coloration happens in just a few seconds. The structural shift takes longer and is far more dramatic. It begins in his spine. It goes from his pelvis up to his C 1 vertebra. Each vertebra grows a half inch in length, elongating his spine to match his soon to be longer arm and legs. It looks like a wave of dominoes cascading under Bucky’s skin. Next his shoulders crack and pop out of place as his rib cage enlarges. His ribs create a bigger space for his enlarged heart and lungs. His femurs grow at the same pace that his tarsals go from being in his human ‘foot’ to being a part of his lower leg. The rapid bone growth creates his unique leg structure which is unlike either of his forms. The result is the ability to run and jump faster on two or for legs. The structure of his arm remains similar except for his nails which fuse to his distal flanges and become proper claws. Sure, in his man form he can tear a throat or two out with his ‘claws’, but those are merely ungroomed fingernails. The deadly sharp weapons on his shifted fingers would suit a grizzly bear. His reshaped feet also bare the same equipment, though less sharp because of his primarily bipedal nature.

                Of all of this incredible features, it’s his head that draws the most attention when he showcases this form. He opens and closes his jaw while the joint pops. His snout elongates but doesn’t become as pronounced as in does in his lupine form. The tops of his orbital sockets become more distinct. His teeth descend until his canines are an inch long and even more savage than a wolf’s. His ears become pointed like in his lupine form but remain low on his head like his man form. The muscles in his neck thicken to support his enormous head. His once lustrous locks becomes coarse and more main-like. Thick patches of fur sprout down his neck to his mid spine. The resulting creature is the stuff of nightmares.

                At first Bucky was shy about transforming into this form in front of Steve, after the first time he’s since forgotten that anxiety.

                Steve beams at him proudly as Bucky shuffles to remain out of everyone’s way. He’s now about eight feet tall and over three hundred pounds of muscle and teeth. “You okay?” Steve reaches up and rubs Bucky’s jaws. Bucky nuzzles into the comforting touch. His face always aches a little after this shift. Bucky can’t speak the human language like this nor does their kind understand the bizarre sounds he makes, so he grunts and whimpers to communicate. “Ready for the weapon?” Bucky nods and grunts.

                The tech person sprays Bucky’s residual limb with a solution that makes the nerve conduction work better. Steve picks up the weapon and holds it in place. The tech guy takes hold of it while Steve straps the arm down. Once he’s finished, the limb is as securely in place as an attached arm would be. Bucky flexes his metal fingers and tests out the range of motion of his shoulder. He gives Steve a nod once he’s satisfied.

                “Are we ready?” One of the Howlies asks.

                Steve pats Bucky’s chest, carefully avoiding his milk lines. He could nurse his pups like this if he wished. “Seems so.”

                Bucky growls in anticipation. He’s been waiting for this for a long time.

.oOo.

                “Sir, we have lost all of our support! I am radioing for reinforcements from the nearest compound now!” A young woman tells Johann Schmitt inside an armored truck. The vehicle is going as fast as possible down a bumpy dirt road in the dark. They were once part of a fleeing convoy which contained the soldiers they have experimented on and anything important that wasn’t tied down. They had to leave the base fast because of their attackers. They thought they were clear of them at first. They suffered some casualties during the evacuation and they lost two test subjects, but other than that they seemed to have escaped. Fifteen minutes from the base, ten miles down a winding road intended for only perimeter inspection, they realized they were far from in the clear.

                Johann Schmitt’s hands hold his gun steady. He stays calm even though he knows how little impact bullets have on the thing coming for him. He commissioned him, trained him, studied him, and used him until the disastrous day his collar malfunctioned. He’s woken up covered in piss after nightmares about what’s to come. But he’s still the commander of Hydra, his fear must be his secret until the moment he is finally dead. He is certain that moment is coming fast.

                “I wouldn’t be too concerned with it my dear. We’ll be dead long before they arrive.” Schmitt tells the woman who has been running communications tonight.

                 She pauses, realizing he’s right. In her panic she must have forgotten that the closest bases have all been destroyed in the past weeks. “This is it then?”

                “Yes.” He says with conviction. “I recommend you take your pill now. You won’t want to share in my death.”

                “And you sir?” She asks.

                “I won’t deny the beast his due.” Schmitt replies. It’s perhaps the first descent thing he’s decided in years.

                “Yes sir.” She salutes with both of her fists in the air. “Hail Hydra!”

                “Hail Hydra.” Schmitt responds as the woman breaks her cyanide capsule and begins to froth. Schmitt turns around to face the double doors at the back of the truck. He considers his own death as the woman behind him convulses. Her arms bang against the side of the truck.

                He has very little time to think. The entire vehicle comes to an abrupt halt, sending Schmitt flying forward into the grate between the cargo area and the driver. The back of his head is badly cut in the shape of the diamond mesh. The computers and the body of the dead woman crowd him. The hydra commander blacks out for a moment from the head trauma.

                Then the doors come flying open. Schmitt reflexively tries to shoot but he can’t aim with his vision swimming like it is. Everything is dark around him except for a small light inside the driver’s area of the truck.

                Their eyes shine in the dark. There must be a dozen of them. Their leader casually walks out from the left side of the truck. He must have been what stopped them so suddenly. The eight foot tall monster stands there patiently watching him. His gleaming eyes taunt him. Schmitt is so transfixed by the eyes and confused by his injury that he does not notice the two humans that slip into the van.

                He tries to struggle when they hold his mouth open and extract the cyanide tooth, depriving him of the easy way out. He was wrong, he was so wrong. He should have killed himself when he had the chance.

                Another vehicle pulls up, maybe it used to be one of Hydra’s but it most certainly is not now. It parks behind the wolves, illuminating the giant creatures with the headlights. The one on two legs, his former asset, walks forward and grabs Schmitt by the leg. He drags the thrashing man out of the van onto the ground. A blonde man Schmitt knows is the leader of one of Fury’s teams gets out of the new vehicle followed by a woman and another man. The red head new comer has tourniquets in her hands.  

                “This where you want him?” She asks the asset. He grunts in response. The huge beast holds Schmitt down while the expressionless woman tourniquets his arms and legs. Schmitt can’t control the shaking now. He must not beg he instructs himself. He must not give them the satisfaction. He will not lower himself to the level of these animals.

                The man that got out of the vehicle with the team leader takes out a video camera. Schmitt spits at it, disgusted by these animal’s lack of tact.

                “Good one, I’d hate for anyone to think we were doing this to somebody who didn’t deserve it.” The camera man adds. “How about an evil monologue for the camera, something we can all quote when we watch this again and again?”

                “Clint, that’s enough. Bucky doesn’t want any extra fuss.” The leader informs the cameraman.

                “Okay, suit yourself.”

                “He’s ready when you are.” The woman tourniqueting his limbs informs the asset.

                The asset gently pushes her back with the weapon.

                Schmitt looks at him in the eyes when the huge creature lowers his head to look at him. They stare at each other for what feels like minutes to Schmitt. Then, without warning, the lycanthrope tears Schmitt’s limbs off one by one.

.oOo.

                Bucky observes Schmitt crying and soiling himself as he stares at his limb stumps. Ever since he can remember he has always distinctly wanted to inflict the same pain he once felt when he was pulled from that bear trap. He may not have remembered exactly what happened, but after so much time he still remembers that pain. The omega is back to his man form now. He needs to be this way so he can say a few words before they finally kill this bastard.

                “These wolves around me aren’t soldiers.” Bucky explains. “These are some of the mothers of the pups you captured and killed. I invited them here tonight because your death shouldn’t be just mine to savor. We’re making the film for those that are too far away to attend. You’ve hurt more people than we can round up at one time, when we do find them we want to be sure that they can get their closure too.” He had a lot more planned but suddenly it seems excessive. “What else is there to say? Fuck you I guess, and enjoy your hell.” He pauses. “Oh, and we’re saving your bones for my pups.” Bucky grins with satisfaction. “They’ll start teething soon.” He signals the waiting wolves with a wave of his hand. “Dig in.”

                Schmitt screams as a dozen wolves descend on him. Each of them rips at the monster of a man passionately. Anger, pain, and love fuel the agonizing final moments of Schmitt. Being eaten alive takes several minutes to result in death. Schmitt’s soft underbelly is quickly torn out so that everyone can get a piece. His eyes are the next easy target. They intentionally avoid his throat so that he is able to scream to the very end. There is nothing quite like the sound of a man having his penis chewed off.

                Bucky strolls over to his bondmate. Steve fondly throws an arm over him. “Hi.” The alpha greets.

                “Hi.” Bucky hums back.

                “Is this satisfying for you?” Steve asks. “I hear the thirst for revenge is supposed to be unquenchable.”

                “Well whoever said that clearly didn’t have the kind of enemies I have… had.” Bucky feels better just getting to say that alone. His tormentor is dead. He died horribly. Bucky and his friends have saved their kind from the affliction that was Johann Schmitt.

                “Personally, I think going back to our pups is a lot more gratifying than ripping a man apart.” Steve confesses. “But I never lived through what you lived through.”

                “Yeah…” Bucky glances at Steve. “But because we did this, now nobody ever will.”

                “Which was reason enough to do it.” Steve affirms for his bondmate. He never questioned that they should kill Schmitt. Schmitt had this coming to him just as much as Bucky deserves a happy, long life full of family and community. Now that they’ve taken care of this step on the road to recovering Bucky’s life, there isn’t much left to do besides be ridiculously happy together. Steve couldn’t be more pleased to be along for the ride.

                They stay and watch until Schmitt has been mostly devoured. “Can we go back to the pups now? I miss them?” Bucky asks hopefully.

                “Oh good, I was getting bored.” Steve sighs with relief.

                They leave the clean up to the humans. They have very important puppies to see.

.oOo.

                Bucky keeps his pups close by when he goes on missions. He wants to be able to get to them easily but still keep them inaccessible to the enemy. Thus, the Pup Truck was created. It’s a reinforced armored car which is only accessible through a retina scanner, a finger/nose print scanner, and voice recognition software. Steve and Bucky are the only two people who have access to the back compartment. A small select list of their close friends have a similar means of starting the vehicle. One of a handful of people are always assigned to watch the pups and monitor their noises while Bucky and Steve are busy. Tonight it was Sam.

                “Hey there mama, how did it go?” Sam asks Bucky when he and Steve emerge from the woods. The Pup Truck and the rest of mobile base camp is set up in this clearing for now. The van with Ken and Dana sits about twenty feet away from the Pup Truck.

                “Not well for Schmitt.” Bucky answers as he bypasses Sam on his way to the back.

                “I’ll tell you about it, he wants his pups.” Steve offers.

                Sam laughs as he and Steve watch Bucky go through the security to get in the back. “It’s going to take a long time before I get a ‘Nice to see you Sam’ from him, huh?”

                “Instinct is a crazy thing.” Steve grins.

                “At least you and me are good.”

                “Just wait until next spring.” Steve jokes.

.oOo.

                Bucky closes the door behind him softly. They sound like they’re asleep. Resting against the side of the truck is a large wooden box lined with padding and carpet. It’s big enough for him to lay down in in his lupine form with room for the pups. Steve has to sit outside unfortunately, they are working on a solution to that. The opening to the box has a curtain on it. Bucky pulls it back and peers in.

                Like he suspected, his babies are curled up against the large, brown pillow with a heater in it. It’s made of fake fur and is supposed to resemble Bucky. Bucky thinks it’s a pretty bad likeness but the pups don’t mind. Ambient noise plays on a little speaker. The recording is of Steve and Bucky breathing at night while they sleep. If Bucky feeds them before he goes, usually the pups sleep right through his missions. They must have roused at one point because their pee pad is messy. He takes that out and throws it away. He shifts over to his lupine form once he’s satisfied that their makeshift den is clean. The pups smell the shift and wake up. By the time he’s finished, Bucky is being happily greeted by eight, football sized pups. They’ve gotten much bigger in six months but other than opening their eyes they still look the same as they did when they were two weeks old. Fluffy.

                Bucky’s tail smacks the inside of the box as he gets inside. There isn’t quite enough room for a good tail wag. Bucky gives his darlings licks as he pushes the pillow out and replaces it with himself. He has to nudge the pups out of the way so he can lay down. His tail continues to thump as the babies crowd his belly, eagerly looking for a teat. Bucky no longer startles when they latch on. He continues to lick them and smell them to get a sense of how they have been. They woof and whimper at each other as they arrange themselves properly. They each have a place when they make their little nursing pile. Bucky can tell them apart by scent and coloring. Names are still being decided. For now they each have a color according to the little collar around their neck. These are Tony’s new and improved ‘Safety Collars’. These collars look much more like decoration than some cruel torture device. Bucky personally approved of the design before they made the first batch for the pack. Now all of the pups wear them just in case. Since they made the collars available to all of the pups that are too little to survive a shift, no more babies have died.

                Bucky finally sets his head down and watches the pups while the feed. Their cute little hindquarters wiggle as they try to keep their spot. They are pretty packed together but they make it work. What is he going to do with the other one though… he only has eight nipples. If he has nine pups he’s going to have an odd one. Maybe he should make the pups learn how to take turns. They are spoiled rotten, it couldn’t hurt. Big Pup is kind of a porker anyway… hmmm. Well that settles it.

.oOo.

                 “This little guy is going to Oregon where I’m sure his mommy is going to be very happy to see him.” Hill gives the swaddled pup a good pat. Steve has been talking to Hill about what Bucky retrieved from the base. So far the tech team has tracked down the family of the older pup and is now working on sifting through the contents of that hard drive. Ken and Dana type away furiously.

                 “The word ‘clone’ has been used six hundred times in this document. I’m pretty much positive that they at least tried it.” Ken informs Hill and Steve from inside the tech van. The back doors are open so they can listen. A medical team has just finished up checking on the recovered pups. They sit in separate tubs filled with blankets. They are both snug and sleeping. Steve looks down at the second pup worriedly. The pup strongly resembles his bondmate in a way he has a hard time believing is just coincidence.

                 “And if this pup is a clone, then what? What do we do with him?” Steve stares at the pup. His instincts tell him it ought to be his if it needs a home.

                “It’s hard to say. It depends what his medical needs are.” Hill offers. “Clones have health problems like rapid aging.”

                “That’s only if they took the cell sample from Bucky when he was an adult.” Danna informs them. “If they took the sample when they first stole Bucky, the resulting clone could have a normal life span. These documents are over a decade old. They’ve been trying to do this for a long time, it’s possible they’ve been using a cell sample from when he was six.”

                “Where would they get a sample big enough to last this long?” Steve asks confusedly. He doesn’t know much about science but that seems like a fair question.

                “Apparently they kept his arm.” Ken answers.

                Steve and Hill stay quiet as the stare at the little sleeping pup. “Oh.” Steve finally responds. He’s trying to stop calling the baby in front of him ‘arm clone’ in his head.

                He’s still watching the pup when Bucky pads over to it in his lupine form. He sniffs at the pup curiously, like he’s making up his mind. The pup wakes up and sniffs back at Bucky. They sniff nose to nose for a moment, introducing themselves properly after their sudden acquaintance earlier. The pup seems to really like Bucky, which is good because Bucky really likes him too. The pup peeps at him hopefully.

                “Buck?”

                Bucky seems to decide. He glances at Steve as he reaches forward and picks the pup up in his mouth.

                “Oh Bucky…” Steve sighs. Bucky wags his tail and takes the pup back to his armored van to introduce him to his new brothers and sisters.

                The way Bucky figures it, he was given the chance to have a new life. He’s found everything he hoped for and more than he could have ever imagined existed for someone like him. Now he’s encountered someone in the same position he was once in, somebody who needs to be given a new beginning too. It’s only natural that he should take care of this pup. It’s the least he can do in return for this new incredible life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it. The end of the fic that was supposed to take six weeks. Six months later, it's fairly safe to assume I am a liar who lies. I think you're getting a bonus chapter with 'outtakes' and extras in it. I have to read over my pile of excluded crap to see if there is anything amusing there. The chapter will be posted on tumblr. 
> 
> Follow Trollop: http://thenotorioustrollop.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you so much for your support. I will probably go deeper into this on tumblr, but for now I just have to say I am so damn lucky to have such devoted followers and avid fans. Your comments give this thing it's momentum. I look forward to entertaining you more soon.
> 
> -The Trollop


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